


The Power of Seven: A Family Affair

by Kihonne



Series: Heroes in the Making: An Elite Force [12]
Category: Lab Rats (TV 2012), Lab Rats: Elite Force (TV), Mighty Med
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Betrayal, F/M, Family, Friendship, Heartbreak, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2020-01-05 22:43:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 49,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18375575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kihonne/pseuds/Kihonne
Summary: Ever since Dani betrayed her friends to join her mother on her conquest to take over the world, the team's started to drift apart. But when Dani and Bridget resurface, they come back together in order to stop Mr. Terror. Even if that means fighting someone they care about.





	1. Reunited

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own mighty med, lab rats, or the elite force, or anything from the original TV shows. I only own this story, Calla, Dani, Jaden, any other OCs present, and anything else you don't recognize.

**Skylar's POV**

I sighed deeply, closing my eyes as I turned my face up towards the sun, taking in first breath of Earth air that I'd had in a long time. After seven months of being off world, the unique scent of Centium City – an odd mixture of car exhaust and coffee beans - called to me, welcoming me home.

"Hey, guys! I'm back!" I called, stepping inside from where I landed on the penthouse's veranda. But to my surprise, the kitchen and living room were both empty. Huh, maybe they were out, grabbing dinner or on a mission. Shrugging, I started up the stairs to my bedroom, intending on dropping my luggage and souvenirs off.

I'd spent the last few months on Caldera, helping Hapax the Elder to negotiate a peace treaty between both sides of my planet's civil war. At times, I'd thought I'd never be able to leave, but finally, both sides were satisfied with the agreements that had been made. Smiling, now that I could finally say that I was home for good, I pushed open the door to the bedroom.

The room was eerily quiet, looking as if it hadn't been lived in in a very long time. Dani's stuff was all still there, but caked with dust. My side of the room was empty, as I had taken most of my stuff when I left, but Bree's side was completely gone, her capsule and posters nowhere to be seen.

I looked around, confused. "MISS?"

" _Greetings, Miss Skylar."_ The AI greeted. I sighed, please to hear a familiar voice.

"MISS, where is everyone?"

**Oliver's POV**

"Seriously?" I raised an eyebrow, looking at Barry in shock. He grimaced sheepishly, wincing as he tried to move his arm. I stared at the arrow sticking out of his arm, stunned. "How the hell did you manage to shoot yourself in the arm?"

"Uh…honestly, I was trying to impress Jordan." He admitted. I shook my head, exasperated.

"Alright, Philip." I called the nurse over. "Have Dr. Frankel remove the arrow, treat the wound, then send the idiot," Barry chuckled at my words, then winced, "home with some antibiotics."

"Thanks, man." Barry chuckled. I shook my head, then started to walk away, only to stop, dead in my tracks. Skylar was standing at the entrance, smiling widely as she waited for me. She laughed at the look on my face, amused.

"You're back." I realized, shocked. Her smiled broadened.

"I'm back." She agreed as I stepped forward. She wrapped her arms around me, dropping her face into my shoulder as I hugged her tightly. She pulled away a second later, but kept one hand on my shoulder. "I think we need to talk."

**Xxx**

"…and now, so long as the peace treaty holds, Caldera is at peace." Skylar finished, leaning back in her seat in my office. She smiled at me. "It's so good to be home."

"It's good to have you home." I replied immediately, meaning it wholeheartedly. When Skylar told me that she was leaving, I had offered to go with her, but with everything going on around here…well, the team would already be down two members. A third leaving wouldn't be a very good idea.

"So, how are things?" Skylar asked, leaning forward in interest. She gave me a sympathetic smile. "How's the search going? For Bridget and her people?"

I noted how she avoided using my sister's name. I shook my head. "There's been nothing new since you left. No one knows what happened to them after they stole the Arcturion. It's like…they dropped off the face of the Earth."

"Could they have turned their attention to other worlds? Maybe Bridget decided to wait on this one…" Skylar frowned. "She could be waiting."

"What for?" I questioned, standing up. I began to pace across the floor, frustrated. "It's been months, Skylar.  _Months._ And there's been nothing. They took the Arcturion and they disappeared, just like that. And we have no idea where they are or why they disappeared. Why would she be waiting?"

Skylar bit her lip. "For you, maybe? I mean, Bridget only cares about three things: power, Dani, and you. She has two of them, maybe she's waiting for you to join them. You haven't heard from either of them? Not even…" She tapped her fingers to her temple.

"I tried, remember? I'd send Dani telepathic messages, but she was either not getting them for some reason or she's ignoring me. Probably the latter." I added. I shook my head. "No one's contacted me, not before or after you left."

"We're missing something." Skylar frowned. She shook her head to clear it. "So, what else? What's Kaz up to? Chase and Calla? What about Bree?"

"Uh…Kaz is complicated. When he's not moonlighting for the League, he's searching for my sister." I sighed. Kaz had become obsessed over the last few months. "As for the others…well, crime's been low for a while and less and less missions were coming our way."

"The team's broken up." Skylar sighed, distraught. "I was hoping MISS was wrong about that."

"We didn't break up the team. We just…" It was hard to explain, really, what had happened. "We just started moving on. Kaz is…distant and Dani's gone, leaving me to run Mighty Med 2.0. Davenport retired, so Calla's been caught up with work, Chase is doing something political, and Bree's working on getting a real job. We got busy."

"But we're heroes. We're supposed to be on the alert all the time. It's our job to make sure the city is safe." Skylar insisted.

"And we do. We just haven't been needed." I assured her. "I mean, if the city was in danger, we'd be there. Of course we would, but…they don't need us anymore. And we have lives too. Why shouldn't we get to live them?"

"I guess…" Skylar didn't look convinced.

"Hey." I cupped her chin in my hand. "We're still heroes, alright? But if there's nothing and nobody to save the world from, then what's the point?"

**Calla's POV**

"Oh my God, I love you." I declared wholeheartedly, licking my lips as I grabbed a box and leaned back in my chair. Flipping it open, I dug my chopsticks into it, even as Bree laughed.

"I can't tell if you're talking to me or the take out." She chuckled, taking a bite of her noodles.

"Honestly, I don't know." I admitted, swallowing. "Mmm, God, seriously! Chase is trying to cut down on my junk again, and so he's pretty much banned take out from the entire penthouse."

"Hence why I moved in with Jaden." Bree replied, pointing her chopsticks at me. "So, how's the time machine thing going? Chase told me that Skylar sent you enough rock samples that you were able to recreate the formula?"

"Yep." I smirked proudly. "I mean, there are still some things to work out – how to hold the fuel, how to make sure that when we do go back in time we only change the things we want to change, stuff like that – but she's been a big help. Haven't talked to her in a few months though."

"Neither have I." Bree admitted. "I've just been swamped with work."

I chuckled. "I still can't believe you're doing this."

"What?" She blinked, confused. I waved my hand vaguely.

"Going back to school, getting a degree. I mean, you'd mentioned wanting to check out other careers in art if the whole bionic thing didn't work out, but I honestly never thought too much about it." I admitted. She smiled, a little embarrassed.

"Well, I like art, always have, and becoming a museum curator requires a degree…besides, when I ever have kids, it'll be a lot easier to force them to go to school if I can say that I did, right?"

I cocked an eyebrow at that. "Kids? Are you…"

"No!" She said quickly, eyes widening. I chuckled at her too-fast response. "I mean, no. We haven't really talked about it either, but…one day, maybe."

"Yeah, maybe." I agreed. She looked at me, waiting. "Chase and I…we talked about it, but as a someday. And really, between this," I gestured around my office, "and him interning at the mayor's office…I don't know if we'd really have the time to even consider kids right. And we're young; we should wait a bit."

"Agreed." Bree nodded.

" _Calla,"_  My office's intercom sparked to life, AJ's voice coming from the device on the wall.  _"just a reminder about your 7:30 meeting concerning the specs for the holophone."_

"Right." Glancing at my watch, I noticed the time. "Crap. That's in three minutes."

"Go." Bree waved her hand at me. "I can clean this up."

"Thanks. We're still on for dinner on Friday, right?" I checked, already getting up.

"Yeah. We'll bring dessert. Something sugary enough to make Chase grimace." She added. I laughed lightly, slipping out of my office. I quickly turned the corner, into the teleconference room. I dropped into my seat and activated my screen and comm. set. Seconds later, several faces appeared on my screen, ranging from board members like Mr. Talent, to my most recent hires, like Leo.

"Alright." I declared, wringing my hands together. "Let's get down to business."

**Skylar's POV**

I leaned into the kiss, savoring the feeling of my lips against Oliver's. We hadn't kissed much before I left, but now, after so many months apart, it just seemed natural. I felt Oliver's hands move across my back, sliding down towards the hem of my pants as my hands ran up his neck to his hair. Unfortunately, before we could go any further, the door to his office swung open and a young, dark-skinned girl wearing a nurse's uniform burst in.

"Oliv…oh, crap. Sorry." The teenager quickly spun around, one hand smoothing back her one deep blue lock into the rest of her straight, black hair, obviously embarrassed at having walked in on us.

"It's fine, Jazz." Oliver assured her, pulling away from me, putting some room between us on the couch. He coughed, slightly embarrassed. "Uh, Skylar, this is our new intern, Jazz."

"Right. Your dad was the Great Defender, right?" I asked, recognizing the fourteen-year-old. She nodded, then looked at Oliver worriedly.

"Have you seen the news?" She questioned, a little frantic. We exchanged looks, confused.

**Calla's POV**

"Hey, I brought you dinner." I looked up from the paperwork spread across my desk as Chase walked in, still dressed in the suit he insisted on wearing to work every day, carrying a steaming tubaware container. I quickly pushed aside the takeout boxes, but it was too late. He gave me an exasperated look, disappointed. "Calla!"

" _Sorry to interrupt."_ Saved by the bell, er, the AI.

"Perfect timing, MISS." I muttered. Chase gave me a look, to which I responded with a sheepish smirk. "Yes, MISS, what is it?"

"I believe there is something you need to see." The AI announced. My TV screen slid out from the ceiling until we could see all of it, then turned on to a news report.

The screen showed a live feed of Centium City Central Park, where three individuals – two identical, dark-haired strangers and a girl who looked exactly like Skylar – were screaming at several bystanders. It wouldn't have really been important to us, if one of the guys didn't shook a ball of plasma energy at the crowd a second later. The moment he did, Chase dropped the tubaware container onto the desk and I jumped out of my desk.

"… _As you can see here, Dixie, these…person has started attacking crowds of people, claiming that he wants to take over the city."_  The reporter, Chip, was saying.

Chase and I exchanged looks. "Eight months of peace, and then we get stuck with these crackpots?" Chase questioned.

"You really expected it to last?" I shot back, briefly glancing away from the screen. "I guess we're back in business."

"I'll get the car." Chase offered, sending me a look.

**Oliver's POV**

"Who is he?" I questioned, looking at Skylar as we waited for the elevator to bring us up to the Penthouse. I'd barely spent much time there in the last few months – there was an extra room in Mighty Med 2.0. and though it had been saved as an office for Dani, I'd started using it as a spare bedroom – but my suit was still here. The elevator dinged then and the doors opened onto our floor.

"Their names are Esmund, Elian, and Sasha. They were key parts of the Rebellion. I know they weren't too happy about the outcome of the peace treaty, but they were overruled by the others." She replied as we stepped into the Penthouse. To our surprise, Bree, Calla, and Chase were already inside, suited up and ready to go.

"So, they're Calderan?" Calla questioned, overhearing Skylar. Bree grinned and hugged her friend.

"It's good to have you home." She murmured before pulling away. Skylar smiled at her, then turned to address Calla.

"Yes, they're from my home planet." She confirmed.

"I'm here, I'm here!" Kaz burst through the door, hair askew and clothes a bit disheveled. "Sorry, Liv needed someone to take Barry's place on a mission, since he apparently shot himself in the leg again trying to impress Jordan."

"The arm, actually." I corrected.

"Oh, at least he switches it up." Kaz smirked. I gave him a wry smile.

"Been a while." I commented. He scowled.

"You're the one who stopped looking for her." He accused.

"Hey." Skylar cut in before we could start arguing. "Let's focus on what's important."

"The mission." Chase added. Bree grinned, glancing at us.

"I missed this." She commented.

"C'mon." Calla rolled her eyes. "You three suit up. Let's go."

**xxx**

"If we cannot have our planet, we will have yours!" Esmund, the one in a green uniform, declared, standing on top of a bench in the middle of the park.

"Wow, you sound crazy." Calla declared as we approached the three Calderans.

"Skylar Storm!" Sasha growled upon seeing her fellow Calderan.

"Okay, I get the whole bit about you not being happy that Caldera's agreed to continue helping other planets, and that there's still intergalactic travel on and off the world, but why attack here?" Skylar questioned, exasperated. "I mean, seriously, why?"

"We figured, you ruined our plan for our planet, time to ruin the planet you chose over your home." Elian, the one dressed in blue, retorted, balls of plasma surrounding his hands.

We all exchanged looks. We'd dealt with psychos like this before. "Go!" Was all Chase had to say.

Skylar and I charged directly at Esmund, her with her plasma balls and me with my cryoblast. Esmund was fast and freakishly flexible, like any other Calderan, but also apparently trained for hand to hand combat. He jumped into the air, bringing his knees high to avoid the plasma balls and the cryoblast, then spun mid-air, kicking at my face. I dropped back a step, narrowly avoiding it, but Esmund had been ready for that.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he spun around, dropping low and kicking the legs out from under me. He tried to get Skylar too, but she back-flipped out of the way, avoiding it. As I scrambled back to my feet, she naturally fell into a fighting stance and raised her hand, blasting Esmund in the chest with a massive plasma ball.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the others combatting their opponents. Kaz and Chase were working together, alternating between Kaz scorching Elian with fire and Chase attacking him with his plasma bo. Meanwhile, Bree and Calla were teaming up against Sasha, using a combination of speed and clever strategy to confuse the Calderan.

"Oliver, duck!" Skylar shouted. Following her command instantly, I dropped to the ground, barely managing to avoid being scorched by one of Esmund's plasma balls. I quickly shot a blast of my own, sending a wave of icicles his way. He jumped to avoid them, but Skylar, noticing his habit of leaping into the air to avoid getting hit, reacted instantly. She shot a plasma ball into the air, just as he leapt right into it's path.

The plasma ball hit him right in the chest, throwing him to the ground and knocking the air right out of his lungs. He groaned painfully, and tried to sit up, but Skylar and I were already on top of him.

"Stay down." I advised, aiming a hand at him in case he tried anything.

"You guys alright?" Skylar called over her shoulder to the others.

"Yeah, just about wrapped up." Kaz assured her as he dragged Elian along with him. Bree was one step ahead, already putting Sasha in power restraining handcuffs. "Uh, who wants to deal with them?"

Kaz gestured over at a group of civilians watching us, along with the reporter, Chip. "How about the famous bionic boy?" Calla suggested, putting her hands on Chase's shoulders. He gave her a look. "Man. Bionic man. Just go tell them some crazy bionic people attacked the city. Blame it on Krane or something."

"Yeah, that'll work." Chase agreed before jogging over to talk to Chip.

"Sit." Bree instructed, pushing Sasha onto the ground next to Elian and Esmund. She let out a long sigh, then spared Skylar a glance. "Like I said, good to have you back, but next time-"

"Can I leave the other whack-job members of my species behind?" Skylar finished. She nodded. "Sure."

**Calla's POV**

"No, Glitch, stop!" Jaden scolded, grabbing his dog by the back of his collar as the golden retriever lunged at Katy. The cat has wandered out from Dani's old room in search of something to eat, and judging by the way it bolted behind the fridge, clearly wasn't pleased about the company we had. "Sorry guys, he's usually so good with pets."

"It's alright. I'll give Katy some left over pizza later and she'll be happy as can be." Kaz assured him, placing the three large boxes on the kitchen table. "Dig in, everyone!"

"You know, I almost forgot how much fun missions were to go on." Bree commented, leaning forward and grabbing a couple of slices for her and Jaden. She handed him his food, then leaned back in her chair. "Seriously, what happened to all the missions we used to go on?"

"The police officers in the city finally got weapons and training to handle 'bionic'," Jaden used air quotes, "threats, curtesy of Davenport Industries."

"Ugh, right. Still, as much as I missed this, it's better to have them prepared." I commented.

"Well, I still don't get why you had to break up the team." Skylar commented. I glanced at Oliver, not at all surprised that he hadn't told her.

We'd spent a whole two months looking for Dani, but with nothing to go on, the search dried up. As much as we wanted answers, we weren't going to waste our time trying to find someone who didn't want to be found. Kaz, however, was obsessed. Geminus was trying to help by distracting him with missions, but he never stopped looking. A couple of weeks after Skylar left, Oliver had just snapped. He and Kaz got in this huge fight, and Oliver had stormed out. He hadn't really been back since. And then the work at Davenport Industries piled up, and Chase got offered that internship with the mayor and we all kinda went our own ways.

"Well, I say screw that. We're a team, we stick together." Jaden suggested. We all exchanged looks; Jaden probably wasn't aware of all the details either.

"I think that's a great idea. We shouldn't have broken up in the first place." Chase agreed. He glanced at me, an expectant look in his eyes.

"…Alright. Yeah." Oh, I had a feeling this wasn't going to end well. Dani had left a giant crack in our team, and I wasn't sure it would be repaired so easily. But as one by one, we all agreed to reform the team (including both Kaz and Oliver), I wondered if it wasn't worth the try.


	2. Broken Hearts

**Skylar's POV**

I sat at the kitchen counter, sipping coffee alongside Calla and Jaden as I watched the living room, with almost a morbid-like intrigue. Nothing was happening. Nothing at all, and that was the problem. Kaz and Oliver were both sitting in the living room, the latter reading a book while the former did something on his tablet. Neither one of them were talking to each other, or had even acknowledged each other since they'd come downstairs this morning.

In fact, I hadn't heard them speak to each other since just after the mission a few days ago. I'd gotten the sense that something was up between the two of them, but this was just ridiculous. I could still remember a time, only a couple of years ago, where the two couldn't go an hour without talking to each other, regardless of whether or not they were fighting.

"C'mon." Calla jerked her head at the veranda. I followed her out, making sure to grab an apple for breakfast on our way out. Chase and Bree were already out there, both working on their tablets.

"Have they been fighting like this the entire time I was gone?" I questioned as soon as we were out of Oliver and Kaz's earshot.

"Who?" Chase questioned, looking up.

"Kaz and Oliver." Calla supplied before shrugging. "And not the whole time. I think it started a month or two after you went to Caldera?"

"About a month and a half." Bree corrected, not looking up from her work. I shook my head, upset; it was freaky to see them so angry with each other, and it was pretty obvious what had caused all this.

"What happened?" I asked, already having a good idea of what the answer would be.

"All leads on Bridget and Dani dried up. Oliver got tired of looking for them, and Kaz just couldn't accept it." Calla said simply. She grimaced sadly. "I was hoping they'd make up by now, but…"

"Maybe they need a push." I suggested, smirking a bit. Bree shook her head.

"Trust me, tried it. Didn't work." She commented. Jaden walked in and leaned on the back of her chair.

"Yeah…I think that's because you locked them in a closet and told them you weren't going to let them out until they made up." He commented. "And then Kaz burnt the door down and walked away before you could remember that it was a wooden door."

"Well, it's not like anyone else was doing anything." Bree shrugged in response. Suddenly, there was a knock on the glass behind us. Despite the fact that we could see him clearly, Oliver popped his head out from behind the window.

"Hey, when you guys are done not-so-secretly talking about us, there's a mission alert." He informed us before heading back in. We all exchanged guilty looks, busted looks before following suit.

**Xxx**

"How does this even happen?" I demanded incredulously, staring at the massive, 20-foot wide-sinkhole in the middle of the street.

"Crappy construction?" Calla shrugged as we all edged closed to the hole. A sinkhole had formed about half an hour ago, with several cars dropping into it as the ground below gave way. Six cars were already inside, the drivers and their passengers trapped.

"Okay, it's possible that a gas line could have been under the road, so just in case, no powers except for flight." Chase instructed, handing out some masks to protect us from the gas. "And no weapons either. Any type of electrical or thermal charge, even static or the scraping of a trigger, could set off an explosion."

"We can handle traffic." Jaden offered, gesturing at himself, then at Kaz and Calla. Calla nodded.

"We do need to keep people away from here, or we'll be rescuing even more people." She agreed. "Jay, you get west, Kaz take east. I'll head down to where this road intersects with Edgewood Drive and keep people from coming in this direction."

"Good idea." Chase agreed. The three of them ran off to divert traffic as we turned back to the hole. "Go slowly; it's better to be safe than fast. Teams of two; start with those two." He pointed at a pair of cars near the far end. In the back windows, we could see a few young faces looking out at the hole. "Get the kids first, then the adults."

"Good idea." Oliver agreed. We slowly climbed into the sinkhole, careful when choosing where to place our feet. With the unstable nature of the sinkhole and the possibility of a spliced gas line, things could go really badly really fast if we did the wrong thing.

"Alright, here we go." I murmured as we reached the first car. I pushed past Oliver and climbed down near the first car. "You guys alright?" I asked, even as I forced the backdoor open. The woman inside nodded, giving me a grateful smile as I pulled her six-year-old daughter out. I quickly handed the little girl to Oliver. He got a better grip on her, then flew her out of the hole while I worked to get the mother out.

It was slow progress; we had to be extra careful, and since Oliver was the only one who could fly, the rest of us were forced to walk or carry the passengers out of the hole ourselves. An hour later, we were about halfway done as I carried a little boy, only four years old, up the side of the sinkhole. But then, just as I stepped on the edge of the sinkhole, the ground gave way beneath me.

"Shit!" I cursed as both the little boy and I started to fall. Suddenly, a pair of hands reached out, one grabbing my arm and one reaching for the boy's waist.

"Whoa, there." A distinctly Irish voice cautioned as my favorite red-head helped me and the kid up. "You alright?"

"Geminus?" I was surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood and you looked like you could use a hand." She replied as I let go of the boy. He ran past us, into his mother's waiting arms. "Or, you know, a dozen hands."

She gestured to the sinkhole, where five of her duplicates were beginning to make their way down the sinkhole. I turned and grinned at her. "Good to see you."

"Right back at you." She laughed before she followed me into the hole.

**Kaz's POV**

"So you seriously just happened to be in the area?" Oliver questioned, leaning back in his chair. Alivia shrugged, plucking an apple from the fruit bowl in the living room.

"I'm grabbing dinner with an old friend later, so I figured I'd drop by a few hours early and hang out." She replied. "I'm glad I did; you looked like you needed the help."

"It did save us a few hours of work." Chase admitted. "Thanks."

"No prob." She assured him, just as Calla's phone rang. She glanced at it and let out an annoyed sigh.

"This had better not be what I think it is." She muttered, getting up and walking out on to the veranda to take the call. The rest of us glanced at Chase, who merely shrugged in response.

"So, how's Lily?" I asked, curious. Alivia smiled.

"She's good. Great, actually. Uh, she's working on taking down one of Dr. Wrath's former henchmen in Montana, but when she gets back, I'm taking her out to this fancy restaurant a few blocks down from the base to celebrate our six month anniversary."

"You guys are cute together." Bree complimented. Alivia smiled.

"Thank you, Bree." She replied as Calla came back into the room, obviously upset. "What's wrong?"

"Another one." She answered, looking at Chase. He scowled, though the rest of us were left confused and in the dark.

"Another what?" Oliver asked. Calla threw her hands up in the air and dropped onto the couch next to Chase.

"There's been a series of break-ins at numerous Davenport Industries facilities and warehouses." She explained, frustrated. "It doesn't matter how much we beef up security, they keep getting in."

"Who's they and why are they breaking in? Are they stealing equipment?" Jaden questioned. Calla shook her head.

"I don't know. They keep managing to knock out the security cameras, even the ones on a back-up generator. But they're not stealing anything, at least nothing on our inventory list." Calla sighed. "I've gone over the inventory list and had my guys triple check. Nothing's missing."

"Maybe they're looking for something." Alivia commented. I glanced at her. "I mean, you don't keep all the same things at all your facilities, right? There's got to be something kept at only one of them."

"Yeah. A few of the facilities hold specific merchandise, but they've broken into eight of them in the last week and a half. I can't think of anything they'd want that bad." Calla muttered. "How are they getting past my security system? It's the best in the country."

"Want some help?" Oliver offered.

"With what? It's not like I know who we have to stop." Calla muttered.

"Yeah, but we can stake out your remaining facilities. Wait for them to show up then take them down." Skylar pointed out, nodding. "Set a trap for them."

"…There are two more facilities they haven't reached yet." Calla nodded, liking the idea. She glanced at Chase. "We can split up, hide in the facilities. When those little felons break in, we call for backup and take them down. I like it."

"Alright. Alivia, you in?" Chase looked at the red head. She smirked.

"Hell yeah." She agreed. He nodded.

"Okay, one of the facilities are in Iowa and the other is in Indiana. Jay, Bree, Alivia and I will take the one in Indiana; Calla, you take Oliver, Kaz, and Skylar to Iowa. If no one shows up in 24 hours, we come back here. Agreed?"

**Chase's POV**

I glanced over my shoulder as I pulled on my mission suit jacket, aware that I was being watched. I sighed. "Okay, you're not happy about something. What is it?"

"It's not that I'm unhappy." Calla sighed, stepping into our bedroom. She grabbed my jacket and handed it to me before sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'm worried."

"Why? It's not like we're fighting Krane or Roddiseus again." I reminded her.

"Oliver and Kaz. Is it really a good idea to put them on a mission together?" She questioned. "Tell you what, I'll trade you Oliver for my brother."

"Bree was right earlier; they need a push. It's not a dangerous mission, so we can afford to take a little risk if it means they might get over this fight they're having." I assured her, pulling on the jacket. "If we're going to be a team again, they're going to need to learn to work together again."

"I suppose you're right." Calla nodded, frowning thoughtfully. "I just hope this works out the way you're hoping it does."

"It will." I promised, kissing her on the forehead. "Now, let's go catch your intruders."

**Kaz's POV**

"Alright, the facility holds about 200 different types of Davenport Industries equipment, everything from weapons to less lethal inventions like prototype hydroloops." Calla explained, waving her hand vaguely as we walked through the facilities. Massive shelves of gadgets and gizmos filled the building. I shone my flashlight up at one of them, noting the Davenport Industries symbol.

"How do we know that they haven't already hit this place?" Oliver questioned. Calla glanced back at him.

"We don't, not for sure anyway. The last few breaks in didn't even trip the alarms; we wouldn't have realized that they'd been broken into if it weren't for some broken glass or equipment." Calla explained. "Which is why we're going to start by doing inventory. We make sure everything's here, and note where anything that the intruders might want are."

"Ugh, inventory?" That sounded boring.

"Yes, inventory." Calla insisted as we made it to an office near the back of the facility. She grabbed a couple of tablets off the desk inside, then handed one to Skylar and one to Oliver. "Skylar and I will take the west side of the facility, you two take the east."

"Uh…" I glanced at Oliver. "How about Oliver and Skylar take the east side, and I'll help you on the west."

"Nope." Calla popped the P, giving me and Oliver a smirk before leading Skylar down a nearby aisle, between two massive shelves full of heavy looking inventions.

**xxx**

"Well, at least she let us take the advanced weaponry section." Oliver commented, going through the list on his tablet. I didn't answer, instead looking over the various weapons. I picked one up in my hand, testing the weight. I could feel Oliver's irritated stare focusing on my back. Choosing to ignore it, I put the weapon down and pulled out another one. "You know why Calla sent us down here alone, right?"

"She wants us to talk." I grumbled. Stupid, know-it-all Calla, always thinking that she should get involved.

"Well, maybe we should." Oliver retorted. "This whole you being mad at me thing is getting old."

"You're the one who gave up on her." I snapped, turning around. "You gave up!"

"She doesn't want to be found!" Oliver argued.

"And that means we should just give up?" I demanded. "Remember when Skylar was under the control of the Annihilator? You didn't give up on her, but we're just supposed to give up on Dani? On your own sister?"

"This is different." Oliver growled. "Dani's not being controlled; I think we both know that. She joined our mother of her own free will. She made that choice."

"That doesn't mean I have to accept it. And neither do you." I retorted.

"Look, Kaz, she left. Dani left." Oliver sighed. "I've been there; I spent months looking for my mother, even while we were dealing with Roddiseus and his kids. It's long and hard and exhausting and honestly, I'm tired of looking for family members who don't want to be found."

I looked away, frustrated. I knew he had a point, but I hated the thought of just letting Dani go. "She's her own person, Kaz. She can do what she wants." Oliver continued.

"But this can't be what she wants, Oliver. C'mon, you gotta realize that something's not right here." I insisted. "Dani would never join Bridget; she hates her."

"Well, my mother must have offered her something that was more important to her than her mommy issues." Oliver snapped. "And what does it matter now? She chose a side. It just didn't end up being ours."

"I can't give up on her." I told him. "And I don't think you should. We need to find her."

"…Okay, and say we do." Oliver threw him hands up. "What then?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Well, she's a villain now, so we can't just let her walk away, but are you really prepared to fight her?" Oliver asked, almost rhetorically. "I remember fighting Skylar when she was evil, and even though I knew she wasn't in control, it was horrible. I can't image how bad it'll be to fight my sister, knowing that she's doing it all of her own free will? I couldn't do that. Could you?"

To that, I didn't have a good answer. "We haven't seen Dani in eight months, and honestly, I think it's in everyone's best interests if we don't see her again."

"Oliver-" I started, but before I could finish, an alarm started to blare, the lights in the facility switching on, bathing us in an ominous red glow.

" _We've got company. Just spotted two people; I only saw them from behind, but there's one's male, about 6'3, and the other is a blonde-haired woman."_ Skylar announced over the comms.

" _I hit the alarm and called for backup. Chase and the others are on their way here as we speak."_  Calla added.

"Alright, split up and take them down." I ordered. Oliver looked at me and nodded in agreement. I glanced at him. "You get left, I get right?"

"Meet back here in twenty minutes if you can't find them." He added. I nodded and we separated, carefully stepping through the aisles.

**Skylar's POV**

I slowly crept past a shelf full of large, prototype and spare capsules, peeking around the edge of the shelf. According to Calla's thermal sensors, there were eight people in the facility. Excluding me and the others, that meant four intruders that we had to fight/scare off.

I could hear the others' voices in my ear, keeping all of us up to date on what they were seeing. Calla was following a shadowy figure into the northern section of the facility – the experimental section, according to her – while Kaz and Oliver were trying to locate one of the intruders by the sounds of their footsteps, but none of us were getting anywhere close.

Suddenly, a series of loud bangs from behind me made me jump. Spinning around, I saw that three of the capsules had fallen, blocking the area behind me. Frowning, I couldn't understand how they fell on their own; Calla had them all in these special, square clamps to prevent them from rolling off the shelves.

"Skylar Storm." I spun around at the sound of my name, only to find a tall, square-jawed guy, dressed in black, smirking back at me.

"And you are?" I questioned defensively, curling my fists.

"The name's Sebastian. I'm surprised Chase hasn't mentioned me." He commented, seemingly mildly offended.

"Oh, he has." I assured him. He smirked, pleased. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, looking around aimlessly got a little boring, and since you're here, I figured why not save myself the time?" He smiled charmingly. "So, you wanna help me find what I'm looking for?"

"Well, that depends. If you're looking for an ass-kicking, I'm happy to help." I replied, creating energy balls around my hands.

"Yeah, in your dreams." Sebastian retorted, raising one hand. A bo staff, glowing red, formed in his hand. He spun it around once, showing off, before settling into a fighting stance. "So, I'm going to ask you once, just once; where's the real Arcturion?"

That caught me off guard. "What?" I questioned, dropping my guard for a moment. Sebastian took advance, charging at me instantly, spinning his bo staff. I dropped back a step, hoping to avoid it, but only succeeded in allowing him to trap me against the wall of capsules behind. He held the bo staff to my neck, narrowing his eyes. "What do you mean, where's the Arcturion? You have the Arcturion."

"Please." He scoffed. "Like we wouldn't figure it out."

"Figure what out?" I was completely bewildered.

"That you switched the real one out for a fake. A good fake, I admit – I'm guessing Calla and Chase are behind that one – but a fake nonetheless. Where's the real one?"

I didn't answer – really, what could I say to that – but dropped to my knees, spinning around at the last second, one leg extended. I caught him in the ankles, knocking him over, before leaping back to my feet. Before he could properly recover from my kick, I sent a ball of energy directly at him. He deflected it, however, using his bo staff. The ball of energy was sent flying into the capsules behind me, the blast being absorbed by the special glass.

He spun around, twirling his bo staff before throwing it at me. I ducked as it spun past my head before returning to Sebastian's waiting hand, like a very large, glowing boomerang. He started to throw it again, but suddenly stopped at the last minute, something getting his attention. "Understood." He said, reaching up to tap what I figured must be an earpiece. He smirked. "Sorry, Miss Alien, but I gotta go."

"Not gonna happen." I growled, before sending another blast of energy his way. He deflected it again, swinging his bo staff at me. I dodged it before aiming a punch towards his face, wanting to wipe that cocky little smirk away. He dodged it, ducking down to throw a punch of his own towards my gut. I blocked it, then spun around to aim a kick towards the back of his head. He dodged it, then quickly slammed his bo staff into my stomach, using it to throw me backwards, into the capsules.

"Skylar!" I snapped my head to the side, hearing Bree's voice. Well, about time they got here. I turned around to face Sebastian once more, but by time I did, he was nowhere to be seen. I pushed myself to my feet, moving forward to see if he was just waiting behind a corner, preparing some sort of surprise attack, but he was gone. "Hey!" Bree sped up beside me, looking around. "Where are the bad guys?"

**Kaz's POV**

" _Guys, they're getting away!"_ Alivia's voice called over the comms.  _"Stop them before they get out of here."_

I didn't need to be told twice; I was already in pursuit of one of them: the blonde-haired girl. "Hey, stop!" I shouted, chasing after her. She didn't reply or slow down, instead forcing herself to run faster, leaping over a fallen bionic capsule without the slightest hesitation. "Stop!" I shouted again, flying over the capsule.

When it became clear that she wasn't going to stop on her own, I created a fireball in my hand. Aiming several feet in front of her, I threw it at the ground, then increased the height of the flames. She skidded to a stop as the fireball quickly turned into a wall of fire, the flames reaching four feet high. She bounced on her feet, about to try something, when I spoke again. "Stop. Dani, just stop."

She froze, then slowly turned around to face me. It was Dani alright, but she'd changed so much over the past few months. Her hair, once short and dyed auburn, was shoulder length and the same shade of blonde as her mother. Instead of a mission suit, she wore dark colored pants, a black jacket with gold arrows running vertically down the arms, and a dark blue V-neck. Just below her neckline, I could see five words -  _patria est ubi cor est_  – tattooed onto her skin in curly, black letters. It wasn't the only tattoo either; the infinity symbol that appeared to be a favorite of Mr. Terror's minions was etched into the inside of her right wrist.

She looked me up and down, still bouncing on the balls of her feet, clearly wanting to run. "You stop dyeing your hair." I observed. She shrugged.

"Mom didn't like the color I had it." She said by way of explanation, looking around, probably trying to find an escape route.

"Since when do you care what your mother wants?" I questioned. She didn't answer. "Dani, c'mon. Just come back. Come home."

"Can't do that. Sorry." She replied.

"Why not?" I demanded.

"It's complicated." She insisted.

"Not really. All you have to do is come with me." I argued. She shook her head.

"Look, I have to do what I think is right." She told me, dead serious. She gave me a look. "And you need to stop trying to find me. I know you've been looking; stop it."

"Well, that's something I can't do." I retorted. Dani looked at me, exasperated.

"Why can't you just let me go?" She pleaded. I looked at her.

"You really don't know?" I questioned. She frowned. "Because damn it, Dani, I'm in love with you."

She turned around quickly, clearly surprised. She raised her head, staring into the flames, and then, after a long moment, she replied. "…Well, I-I don't love with you." She lied.

She was lying. I could hear the shakiness in her voice, the way her tone lacked any conviction. It was like she was forcing herself to say the words, like some sort of script. There was no way she could possibly believe what she was saying, so why was she lying?

She took a deep, shaky breath. "Goodbye Kaz." She murmured before flying into the air, soaring past the wall of flames and out of my line of view.

**Skylar's POV**

"So, wait." Calla frowned, confused. "He said that we switched out the real Arcturion for a fake?"

"Yeah." I nodded. We were back at the Penthouse, Sebastian, Dani, and the others having escaped. No one was hurt, thankfully, but we were all left with a lot of questions. "I mean, we didn't do that, right?"

"Not that I know of." Chase commented. "And, according to the records, Facility X was only accessed twice over the past two years – once when the Arcturion was first brought there, and then again when Mr. Terror stole it."

"Do you think he was lying?" Alivia asked, frowning in confusion.

"Why would he?" Jaden offered. "I mean, what would they gain by lying about having a fake Arcturion?"

"And besides, it does kinda make sense. My mom wanted the Arcturion for its power. If she got a fake, it would explain why she went back into hiding." Oliver added, thinking hard.

"But that begs the question, where's the real Arcturion?" Bree questioned. We all exchanged looks, knowing that this could potentially be very bad. I mean, it was a good thing that Bridget didn't seem to have it, but losing something as powerful as the Arcturion? In the wrong hands, that could potentially lead to catastrophic disaster.

"I'm going to check with Douglas and Leo, see if maybe the real Arcturion got shipped off to another facility by mistake." Calla decided, getting up to make a couple of calls. Alivia stood up as well.

"I should go." She announced. She glanced at her watch. "I have to go meet my friend."

"Hey, thanks for helping out." Bree commented. I nodded.

"This morning and with the stakeout." I added. She nodded, smiling.

"Anytime. Oh, and I'll get my people to keep an eye out for the Arcturion." She added.

"Good idea." Oliver nodded. "Tell Lily, Barry, Alan, and Liam we said hi."

"Of course." Alivia started on her way out, then stopped next to Kaz's seat. She put her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you going to be okay?"

He'd been quiet ever since we left the facility, only briefly mentioning that Dani had been there and not saying anything else. Everyone was kinda worried about him, even Oliver, but didn't really know what to do. "Yeah, fine." He waved her off. Alivia gave him a sad smile, almost looking apologetic, before nodding.

"Call me if you need anything." She told him. She glanced back at the rest of us. "Any of you."

"See you around, Liv." I said to her as she headed out the door. I glanced at Kaz, who still seemed pretty deep in thought, then sighed and headed for the kitchen. It was late; maybe some food would put everyone in a better mood.

"I'll talk to him." Oliver murmured to me, following me into the kitchen. I looked at him, a little surprised. He shrugged. "We may be fighting, but he IS my best friend."

I smiled, nodding, then grabbed a frozen lasagna out of the freezer. At least, even when things go to hell, that didn't change.

**Alivia's POV**

I glanced at my watch, tapping my foot impatiently. We'd agreed to meet up at 8:00. It was 8:04.

I sighed impatiently, looking around the badly-lit room. The abandoned building wasn't the greatest place to meet up, but after the NLH bought it to use as a secondary base, should the League ever grow big enough to require one, it seemed like a safe spot. Still, she was late. And she was never late.

I started, suddenly hearing the sound of approaching footsteps. Tensing up in case it wasn't who I was hoping to see, I glanced out the door into the dark hallway. Upon realizing who it was, I relaxed. "You're late." I commented. She stopped and looked at me, eyes ablaze.

"I hate you." Dani declared, wholeheartedly. "I hate you and your terrible plan and you're a terrible friend and did I mention I hate you?"

"A few times, yeah." I nodded, giving her a soft smile. She glared at me, pissed. "So, you get the stuff?"

"Yup." She popped the P angrily before handing me the flash drive. "All of my mother's contacts and minions in the US. Their locations, their contact information…everything you need to take them out."

"Thanks." I pocketed the flash drive, then gave her a sympathetic look. "I know it couldn't have been easy to get me this copy."

"You have no idea." She murmured, sounding exhausted. "Sebastian's constantly hanging around, flirting with me; it's nearly impossible to sneak away. And Lexi's getting into enough trouble, and Kaz…" She cut herself off, letting out a ragged breath.

"How bad was it?" I murmured gently. She dropped her face into her hand, quickly wiping away any moisture that may have accumulated in her eyes.

"He said he was in love with me." She whispered, her tone one of pain and disbelief. She looked at me in the eye, eyes glassy. "He said he was in love with me and I had to pretend that I didn't care. That I don't feel the same way."

I sighed, lowering my eyes. We'd both known that this wouldn't be easy, but I'd underestimated how hard this would be for Dani. "I'm sorry."

"No, I…I don't hate you. And I know, we both agreed that the only way we could take my mother out was to get someone on the inside, it's just…" She bit her lip, looking upwards. "They're never going to forgive me for this. Especially not Kaz."

"I'm sorry." I repeated myself. She shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. It's too late to back out. Has been for a while." She insisted. She looked at me. "What do you want me to do now?"


	3. The Second Time Around

**Kaz's POV**

Have you ever had an idea where you know it's a really, incredibly terrible idea, but at the same time it's the only one you've got? Yeah, that pretty much summarized the situation I just found myself in.

I ducked around a corner, hoping that I wouldn't be caught. Security guards were everywhere – with the recent break-ins, the security had been amped up to the max – but so far, I'd managed to avoid detection. Peering around the corner, I watched as a security guard walked past the room I was trying to get into. I let out a sigh of relief when he didn't stay, smirking a little as he moved onto another hall. Glancing up at the security camera to make sure that it was still off, I quickly slipped into the room labelled 'Danger. Do Not Enter'.

I chuckled at the door sign – Calla was always so dramatic – then turned my attention to the room. It was a large lab, with various machines and computers, the Davenport Industries symbol posted on the far wall. What I came for was lying in the center of the room – a large car seat, pulled from a damaged go kart, with several small canisters attached to the back of it. Nearby, sitting on top of a metal table, was a circular device, similar to one of our tablets.

I picked up the flat, circular device, turning it over in my hands as I remembered what Calla had told us.

**Flashback**

" _So, check it out." Calla grinned proudly, leading the team into the small room. She stopped next to a chair with metal canisters attached to the back. "Ta-da!"_

_Bree and Chase grinned, but the rest of us just stared at it in confusion. "…That's a nice looking chair, Calla." Skylar commented, trying to be positive. The genius frowned, a tiny bit annoyed._

" _It's not just a chair! It's my time machine." She insisted, offended._

" _THAT'S your time machine?" Oliver questioned, skeptically. She pouted._

" _Look, I know it's not the most attractive chair in the world, but it's a freaking time machine!" She argued. "I mean, who cares what it looks like so long as it works?"_

" _She has a point." Chase pointed out. "Not to mention, this looks just like the time machine that Leo used that one time. Remember?"_

" _Wait…isn't that that time where you texted Mom about the world imploding unless you skip school?" Jaden questioned, glancing at Calla. She smirked sheepishly._

" _More or less." She admitted. "Leo came back from the year…2019?" She glanced at the Davenport siblings, who nodded. "Yeah, 2019 because he needed to save these two and Adam from getting themselves killed."_

" _So you built the time machine a year early?" Oliver asked. She nodded, beaming._

" _Yup." She popped the P, very proud of herself._

" _So…how's it work?" I asked, looking at it. Calla swiped a flat, circular object off the table. Despite ourselves, Oliver and I shared a glance; that was the same device that future me had used that time he came back in time at Mighty Med._

" _Well, this is how you control where you go." She began._

" _Let me guess, you just put in the date and time and hit the go button?" Jaden guessed._

" _No." Calla shook her head. "I wrote the algorithm a little differently than that. I mean, what if I wanted to go back to a specific event, like…Julius Caesar's assassination, but we don't have the specific date? Then I'm screwed. Instead, I've designed the algorithm so that you verbally tell the device what event you want to go to, then it connects with the Zeta fuel, finds the exact date and place, and sends you to an hour before." She explained. "It'll also let you know if you've done anything to interfere with that event by sending you a message, so if you screw up, you can fix it before it's too late"_

" _That's smart." Bree commented. "That way we won't accidently screw up time."_

" _Exactly. I've seen that CW show enough to know that time travel isn't something to screw around with." Calla nodded. "Anyway, then, when you want to come back, all you do is tell it to bring you back home and it'll bring you back to the machine's last location."_

**Flashback Over**

I frowned to myself, looking down at the device in my hands. It had been two years since I'd last seen this device; it had been in my own hands, but, at the same time, the hands of a stranger. I'd gone back in time to stop Oliver from turning evil, and ever since Calla had announced that she was close to finishing her time machine, I'd been wondering: if I could save Oliver from himself, why couldn't I save Dani? At the very least, it was worth the try.

"I want to stop Dani from turning evil." I declared, talking to the device. To my surprise, nothing happened. I frowned; maybe it wasn't on? "Take me back so I can stop Dani from joining her mother."

It worked that time, the screen lighting up and a seemingly random stream of numbers and letters sliding onto the screen: 2635CSA-P-P-.16. I had no idea what any of those meant, but Calla was rarely wrong when it came to her algorithms, so I decided to go with it. What was the worst thing that could happen?

I carefully pressed the circle into its spot on the front of the chair, then sat down and strapped myself in. Then, I took a deep breath. I knew this was stupid and that if and when Calla found out, she would murder me for using her tech without permission. And yeah, I knew this was a longshot, but I didn't have another choice. I HAD to stop her, no matter what.

I looked down at the control panel in front of me. Calla had made it extremely simple, only placing three buttons on it: a blue one, a red one, and a green one, all with labels underneath that read 'canister release', 'do not touch Kaz, AJ, and/or Leo' and 'Go' respectively. I eyed the red button suspiciously, a part of me offended that she'd think I'd touch it. But then again, I DID sneak in here to use the machine without permission, so maybe she was smart to be specific in that label.

After another brief moment of hesitation, I slammed my fist down on the green button. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light, a fierce gust of wind, and I felt like I was spinning. It only lasted for a brief, confusing moment. Then I found myself staring at the wall of a storage closet. Figures. Climbing out of the chair, I stumbled over a pile of toilet paper rolls as I made my way to the door.

I stopped short when I opened it. I don't know what I was expecting – I really wasn't expecting anything in particular – but this was the last thing I would have guessed was behind the door.

I looked around it shock, taking in the clean, beige and white walls, the tiled floor and the light blue doors. On either side of the storage closet door, posters had been hung up, promoting healthy eating and all that. To my left, a nurse wearing a deep purple set of scrubs was going through a cabinet, finally deciding on a vial of glowing green liquid before closing it. As he stepped away, I could see another posted behind the door, this one reading: Mighty Med Volunteer Program with details underneath.

This wasn't any hospital, nor was it even Mighty Med 2.0. Realization dawned on me, even as Jaime LePera, dressed in her gold and black superhero uniform, passed me by.

"Hey Kaz." She smiled at me brightly, walking up to me. I just stared at her, at a loss for words. "Oliver said he needed my help with some sort of mission, but he's not in the rec room. You know where he is?"

I gulped, still unable to say anything. God, Jaime…I hadn't seen her since…well, not for a very long time. Her death had been hard for all of us, not just Alivia, and having her stand in front of me was just…wow. "Kaz?" She questioned, frowning. Still not able to think of anything to say, I just pointed in a random direction. She smiled gratefully and started heading down that hall, in search of her friend.

"…Holy…" I muttered, watching her go.

What the hell was going on? How did I end up here, in the original Mighty Med?

I'd come back to stop Dani from turning evil. But she couldn't have turned to the dark side this long ago. I mean, yeah, we'd suspected that Bridget had been in Dani's ear for a while – she wouldn't have just turned on us overnight, especially not for her mother – but Dani couldn't have possibly turned evil this far back. I didn't know the date, not yet, but I figured, for me to be standing in the original Mighty Med, this had to be at least two, two and a half years ago. She couldn't have been playing us for this long…could she have?

**Xxx**

After quickly hiding the time machine away in the storage closet – that would be hard to explain to anyone – I started looking around the hospital, trying to either find Dani or figure out what day this was.

"Benny!" I called, catching sight of the nurse. He stopped and turned to face me, carrying a laptop. "Hey, man. What're you doing?"

"Horace wanted me to go over news reports and see if there's been any mention of Mr. Terror." He explained. "He said it was for Oliver and Dani."

I frowned, remembering the last conversation I'd had with Benny. "What's the date?"

"Tuesday." He replied. I shook my head. "Oh, the 23rd."

"Of February?" I questioned. He nodded, albeit a little confused as to why I didn't know the month.

Crap. No, correction: mega crap. February 23rd, 2016. That was the day that Roddiseus and his children destroyed Mighty Med. In a few, too short hours, this hospital would be a smoldering crater, and everyone inside would be dead.

"Did you need anything else?" Benny questioned, a little impatiently. I took a moment to regain my composure, then nodded.

"Yeah, actually. I need a favor." I told him, fumbling for my wallet. I handed him a handful of 20$ bills. "Uh, for the party; I ordered a cake."

"Alan ordered a cake a couple of weeks ago." He pointed out, frowning. Cursing under my breath, I faked a smile.

"I ordered a second one. The guy at the bakery – Luigi's – said it would be ready by 7:45. I need you to pick it up for me." I lied. He looked at me.

"I'm not your errand boy, Kaz." He refused, handing the money back to me. I refused to take it, instead handing him even more.

"Here's a hundred bucks." I offered him. He considered it for a moment, then smirked and took the money.

"Happy to do business with you." He declared. He started off towards one of the offices so he could do his work for Horace. I watched him go, thinking fast. We didn't know the exact time that Mighty Med had been attacked, but Dani, Oliver, Skylar and I had left the hospital at 7:30, and by time we got back, a little after 8:30, the place had been in ruins. Considering that it was about a half hour drive to Luigi's, without traffic, Benny would probably, hopefully, get back too late to be caught up in all that chaos. Hopefully, he'd survive.

Calla's machine took me back to the wrong day. It had to – Dani couldn't have turned evil this early. Why the machine brought me to this day, I didn't know, but I was going to make the most of it. Saving Benny's life was easy – I just had to get him out of here. If I could warn the others, tell Horace what was coming, maybe they'd have a chance. Maybe I could stop all of it.

I knew I wasn't supposed to screw with time, that it could have dangerous consequences, but…I couldn't think of anything worse than Mighty Med's destruction. That had to be the worst case scenario – if there was something worse, I couldn't fathom what it could possibly be. And really, so long as I didn't tell anybody I was from the future, what was the harm?

And besides, when my future-self time travelled, I didn't screw things up that badly, so how much damage could I possibly do?

**Xxx**

"Seriously, Horace, this party is a bad idea." I insisted, following the doctor around as he instructed the decorators and the party planners.

"Because these villains are going to attack?" He questioned, half-listening to me. "Kaz, please. There isn't a villain out there that could destroy Mighty Med in the way you described. Bridget is the only one powerful enough, and believe me, we're keeping our eye out for her."

"Yeah, no one villain is powerful enough. That's why thirteen of them are going to attack." I insisted. Horace stopped what he was doing and looked at me.

"You said that, but how do you know that this is going to happen?" He questioned. I hesitated and he cocked an eyebrow, waiting.

"They threatened to." I lied. "After we had to take Roddiseus' powers, Roman and Riker both threatened to take out their rage on the hospital. They said they'd destroy all of us for what we did. Because we cursed their father with a 'fate worse than death'." I used air quotes, hoping that what I said would be enough.

It wasn't.

"Roman and Riker were both probably exaggerating." Horace assured me.

"They weren't." I insisted.

"Kaz, they were upset, but they aren't going to hurt anyone. Roddiseus is one of our most capable heroes, and his children are all training in his image. Roman and Riker may be the only ones that are sidekicks, but one day, they'll be an entire team of incredibly powerful heroes." He told me, serious. "The League of Heroes is already looking at promoting Roman. Making accusations like this against him and his brothers and sisters is a very dangerous thing to do, especially without proof."

"But it's true." I needed him to believe me, for the sake of everyone else here.

"Kaz, I understand. You're on edge for an attack; after everything that's happened with Bridget, it's understandable." Horace reassured me. I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. "Look, Kaz, it's a party. Take the night, relax, and then tomorrow, if you're still concerned about how they might react, I will bring it up to the League about keeping an eye on them."

"But that's not…" I stopped myself this time, as the doors to Mighty Med opened up. Jaime, Liam, and Oliver all walked in, back from, if I remember correctly, our failed mission to find Bridget. Dani, Oliver, and my past self were right behind them, surely. I had to get out of here before…

Too late. Jaime spotted me, eyes widening in surprise, before she looked over her should to confirm that my past self was still behind her. "Okay. Gotta go." I mumbled to Horace before bolting from the room, hoping to get out of there before I got busted for real.

I made it as far as the rec room, but then, suddenly, a heavy weight slammed into me from behind, throwing me against the nearest wall. Before I could react, the same person who shoved me spun me around, then pinned me back against the wall, her forearm pressed against my chest. "Who are you?" Jaime demanded, one hand holding a ball of electricity. I gulped nervously, eyeing the electricity ball warily.

"Kaz." I answered. "I'm Kaz."

"No, because I was just with Kaz. I've been with Kaz for the past couple of hours, and I know he's the real one, so who…are…you?" She ground out the last few words, adding emphasis by increasing the pressure she was putting on my chest.

"I am Kaz." I insisted. She narrowed her eyes, not believing me for a second. So, I decided to throw out my rules for the whole time travelling thing. "I'm just not your Kaz."

She wasn't expecting that answer, her grip loosening for a brief moment before intensifying again. "What do you mean, not my Kaz?"

I laughed a little, nervous. "Uh, remember that time that my future self, from 25 years in the future, showed up to stop Oliver from turning evil?" I questioned. She looked at me. "Yeah, similar situation."

"Are you serious?" She questioned. I nodded and gave her a sheepish grin.

"Are you really that surprised?" I questioned. She considered it, then stepped back, letting me go.

"Not at all, to be honest; I've heard crazier, usually from you." She admitted. She frowned, looking me up and down. "How far in the future?"

"Almost three years." I replied. She nodded, thoughtfully.

"So, how'd you come back? That scientist friend your other future-self mention? Uh, Kayla?"

"Calla." I corrected. "And yeah, I borrowed her time machine."

"Borrowed?" She questioned skeptically.

"I may not have directly gotten her permission. But don't worry, she's cool; she won't mind." I told her. Jaime raised an eyebrow.

"She's going to kill you when she finds out, right?" She guessed.

"Almost definitely, yeah." I agreed. Jaime nodded.

"Then why'd you come back? There must have been a reason." She commented. She looked at me. "Unless you just did it for fun. I honestly wouldn't put that past you."

"Neither would I." I admitted. I took a deep breath. "Look, you remember why my other future-self came back last time?"

"You needed to stop Oliver from turning evil…don't tell me he's actually evil now." She demanded. "Because of his mom?"

"Actually, it's Dani's turn. She went dark side." I explained. She gave me a sympathetic smile, the same sympathetic smile Calla, Chase, Bree, and Skylar had been giving me for months. God, I was sick of those smiles. I didn't want anyone's sympathy; I wanted their help to stop her. At least with Oliver, he wasn't giving me those pathetic looks.

"Look, I took the time machine to try and stop her from joining her mother, but something must have gone wrong because it brought me to the wrong date." I told her. "But we have bigger problems. Much bigger."

Jaime crossed her arms, intrigued. "What's wrong?"

Before I could answer, the sound of footsteps coming our way caught our attention. "Hide!" I hissed. Jaime and I ducked behind the storage cabinet, giving us the perfect hiding spot; we couldn't be seen, but we could see the entrance and sitting area of the rec room just fine.

"So, how are things?" A familiar, Irish-accented voice asked as the doors to the rec room opened up. Alivia hobbled in on crutches, her leg still in a cast from her fight against Bridget. Dani followed her in, a curious look on her face. "And I mean it, Dani." Alivia added, slowly sitting down on the couch, stretching her injured leg out. "The truth, no BS."

"We're okay." Dani replied, taking a seat across from her. I craned my neck, trying to get a better look at her. This was Dani, the real Dani,  _my_  Dani. Dani, with the bright green eyes and her cute short hair, dyed her favorite shade of auburn. The Dani that existed before Bridget came back, before she killed Roddiseus, before all the horribleness happened. My Dani.

"Did I not just ask for the truth?" Alivia questioned, her tone expectant. Dani rolled her eyes, brushing her hair from her face.

"It  _is_  the truth." She insisted. "Do things suck right now? Yeah, they do, a lot. And does it hurt? Yeah, but Ollie and I…we aren't just going to break. We've got you and Kaz and Skylar and everyone else to make sure we don't. Nothing's particularly great with us right now, but we are okay. And you guys need to realize that."

I looked back at Jaime. This sounded like a really personal conversation, one that maybe they wouldn't appreciate us hearing. But there was no escape, for either of us; we were stuck here until they decided to take their conversation elsewhere.

"Okay. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, mentally, before…" Alivia trailed off, obviously choosing her words carefully. "Dani, I've got a favor to ask of you."

"Anything, just name it." I smiled at Dani's words; back then, she was the loyalist friend you knew.

"Don't agree so quickly." Alivia told her, serious. "Because you're not going to like what I'm going to propose, but I need you to do it for me."

I frowned and exchanged looks with Jaime. Judging by her expression, she didn't know much about this either. "What's going on, Liv?"

I heard Alivia sigh. "The League of Heroes is…they're concerned about how powerful Mr. Terror is. They don't think that going at her head on would be in their best interest."

"No, duh. She's crazy powerful right now." Dani agreed. She looked at Alivia. "Do they have another strategy?"

"Yeah, they do." Alivia agreed. She raised her head. "You."

Dani frowned, confused. "Me?" Alivia nodded. "Me what?"

"They think that the best way to take her down is from the inside. Systematically destroy her followers from the inside, then use information gathered to devise a stronger strategy." She explained. Dani nodded, brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what that had to do with her. "They want you to be their inside man. Well, inside woman."

"Me? Why me?" Dani questioned quickly. My mind was already racing, putting the pieces together. Oh, you've got to be kidding me!

"Because you're her daughter; she trusts you. And you're a pretty good liar, and you've got what it takes to pull it off." Alivia reasoned. Dani stared at her.

"No." She murmured. Alivia nodded eagerly.

"Yes, you do. Dani, between your powers and your manipulative-" Dani shook her head, cutting her off.

"I mean, no, I won't do it." She refused. Alivia sighed.

"Dani…" She began.

"No. Putting her behind bars is one thing, but playing her, pretending to be something I'm not just so I can stab her in the back? No. I won't do it. Find someone else." She argued.

"There is no one else." Alivia insisted. Dani shook her head.

"Ollie-" She began.

"Oliver can't do this, not the way you can. He's more emotional than you, more of a risk. You're better at keeping a lid on it. You're the one who will do anything to make sure what we need to happen comes to pass. And let's face it: Oliver's a crap liar."

"I won't go behind her back. If I fight my mother, I do it on an even playing field. I'm not the kind of manipulative, sneaky person you're looking for." She insisted.

"But you are. Or you can be." Alivia assured her. Dani looked at her, offended. "It's true, Dani. We both know that when you want to be, when you  _need_  to be, you can be as cold as ice. And we need that."

"Wow, thanks, pal." Dani snapped, hurt. Alivia sighed.

"Look, I know you don't like this. And I admit, lying to her and the others is going to be difficult, but we need you to take one for the team." She pleaded with her. The short hair girl paused.

"The others? Like Kaz and Ollie?" She questioned sharply. Alivia sighed.

"Like I said, Oliver's a crap liar. The only way this is going to work is if no one knows. That way, they can't accidently give you up, and when you join Bridget, she won't think that you're still connected to them; she won't be able to use them against you in case she finds out."

"So, I'd have to lie to everyone I care about. Yeah, no. Not going to happen." Dani declared, standing up. Clearly, she was upset. 'I can't believe you'd ask me to do this, Liv."

"You can't?" Alivia demanded. "Look, I figured you would say no, but you really can't see it? Dani, your mother is a monster, a murderer." Dani flinched at her words. "I'm sorry, but it's true. And she's going to keep on hurting people unless we stop her. I actually don't understand how you can choose not to help, knowing that your refusal pretty much guarantees her freedom!"

"That's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?" Dani accused. "Look, my mother has got her problems, I'm not denying that. And does she deserve to be behind bars? Yes. But everything she did was for us, so she is not a monster. And don't you dare act all high and mighty when you're asking, no, demanding, that I do something that goes against everything I believe in." Alivia opened her mouth to respond, but Dani never gave her the chance. "Oliver and Kaz are the two most important people in my life, and I won't lie or betray them. Not while there's still a League full of heroes that can deal with my mother. And that's final."

She spun on her heel and stormed towards the door. Alivia pushed herself to her feet, immediately reaching for her crutches to regain her balance. "Don't be a coward, Dani!"

Dani stopped at the door and sent Alivia an angry glare. "Screw you, Geminus."

She pushed the doors open and stalked out of the room presumably to go find Oliver, Skylar, and I in the main part of the ER. I watched as Alivia sighed, muttered something under her breath about knowing how Dani would react, then grabbed her crutches and limped out of the room.

"What just happened?" Jaime questioned, stepping out from behind the cabinet. I stepped out as well, thinking hard.

"Alivia asked her to join her mother. Undercover." I realized, mind racing. "She must have said yes."

"Dude, she just very clearly said no." Jaime pointed out. I shook my head.

"Later, in the future. Something must have changed." The words  _'not while there's still a League full of heroes that can deal with her'_ echoed in my head. Maybe, with the League being destroyed and all, maybe Dani felt like she didn't have a choice anymore. Maybe that's why Dani agreed. "Dani's not evil, she's just working undercover. That makes so much more sense!"

It really did. Dani wasn't evil, she could never be truly evil – I mean, anyone who loved animals as much as Dani couldn't be some crazy, evil psychopath, right? Somewhere along the way, Alivia had convinced her that it was the right thing to do, and Dani was dived right into the thick of it. And being the stubborn idiot she was, Dani was going to keep with it until the job was done. Still, regardless of whether what she was doing was right or wrong, or whether or not they should have told us what was going on, at least she was still our Dani. It was like a weight had just lifted off my shoulders for the first time in a year.

"So, Dani working undercover, that was the bigger problem you mentioned?" The blonde-haired girl questioned. "Or was it something else?"

"Something else, something much, much worse." Okay, figured out what Dani was up, now to save the day. I turned to Jaime, dead serious. "We need to get everyone out of here."

"Why?" She questioned.

"Because if we don't evacuate, we're all going to die." I replied, pushing past her.

**Xxx**

"So wait, they decided to kill all of us just because their dad lost his powers?" Jaime demanded, following me through the halls.

"More or less, yeah." I agreed, looking around. I'd already tried to convince Horace, but maybe someone else would believe me. If it was someone with enough influence, like Hapax or Clone Master, maybe they'd believe me.

"And they actually succeed? They kill all of us?" She questioned. I glanced back at her.

"Uh, mostly. There's about…uh," I didn't really want to give her all the gory details, especially not a list of who died and who didn't. "About a dozen left, give or take." Jaime stopped short. I paused and looked back at her. She was staring at me, wide-eyed, in horror. I gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. That's why we have to stop it."

"Only a dozen." She breathed, shocked. I grabbed her arm.

"We need to stop it." I repeated myself. She nodded, though she was obviously shaken.

"Right, yeah." She shook herself. "Alright, how long have we got until…until it happens."

I checked my watch. 7:16. "Not sure. Dani, Oliver, Skylar, and I – your Kaz, I mean, not me – are supposed to leave the hospital in about ten minutes. By time we get back, around 8:30, this whole place is gone."

"That's not a lot of time, Kaz." She told me, eyes narrowing. I nodded.

"I know." I agreed. "I know."

"Alright, did you talk to Horace?" She questioned. "He can order an evacuation."

"He doesn't believe me." I replied, shaking my head. "He says that Roddiseus and his entire family are too revered in the superhero community for them to pull something like that. And I can't convince him otherwise without telling him I'm from the future. I shouldn't have even told you, and even if I told him, there's no guarantee that would convince him."

"Then what's the plan?" She demanded.

"Find Clone Master. He's a League member; if we can convince him, he can evacuate the place." I decided. She nodded in agreement.

"Good idea. Let's go." She led the way into the main part of the ER, only to discover that the party – a celebration of 400 years of Mighty Med history – was already in full swing. Every hero in the known universe was here, blissfully unaware of what awaited them. Unfortunately, it was too crowded to see any one person, and Clone Master was nowhere to be seen. "This isn't going to work."

"It has to." I insisted. Craning my neck, I couldn't catch sight of the red-haired Irish hero. "Alright, new plan. Split up. It'll give us a better chance of finding him. Text me if you find him. Otherwise, meet back in the rec room in twenty minutes."

"Got it. Good luck." She told me, giving me a serious look before disappearing into the crowd.

**Xxx**

I searched the crowds, trying to get through as quickly as possible. But the room was packed, overly so, and with party guests flooding into the halls and adjoining rooms, it was almost impossible to find anyone. I did pass by a couple of familiar faces – Spotlight, hitting on Solar Flare, Crossbow comparing shooting techniques with Arrowette – but none of them League members. Hell, I couldn't even find Horace.

"Hello, anyone?" I called, stepping into one of the locked rooms. Maybe someone had come in here to have a private conversation and had locked the door behind them. To my disappointment, the room was just the filing room where we kept all the hospital's artifacts and valuable technologies. I started to walk away, then I remembered something.

On the far wall was a vault labelled 'Dangerous'. On a hunch, I dialed my security pin into the vault and opened it up, revealing the most dangerous artifact in superhero history: the Arcturion Space Rock. When I'd originally gone back to Mighty Med after it was destroyed, this vault had been wide open, the explosion ripping the door off its hinges. We'd always assumed what had been inside had been stolen, but now I figured out what really happened. I removed the Arcturion from the vault and carried it over to a large stack of filing cabinets. Remembering exactly which one I'd taken from the ruined hospital, I carefully placed the Arcturion inside.

We'd never figured out how the Arcturion had gotten into those storage bins I'd grabbed. We'd figured that some hero had brought it back to the hospital, but it shouldn't have been in those bins. But placing it in there for me to find, months later, would be a hell of a lot better than Roman, Riker, Reese or any of their other psychotic siblings finding it.

I nodded to myself, commending myself on my quick thinking, before leaving the room and locking it behind me.

After a few more minutes of searching, I gave up; Clone Master, or any other member of the League of Heroes, was nowhere to be found. Following the original plan, I went back to the rec room, where Jaime was waiting.

"I can't him. Or the other League Members." She declared. "Where are they?"

"I couldn't find Horace either. Maybe they're together, talking or something. It can't be a coincidence that we can't find any of them." I decided. Jaime nodded thoughtfully.

"They could be having their own, mini-celebration. I mean, this is here mostly because of them." She considered. "Maybe they're in Horace's office."

"Not a bad place to start." We were running out of time; if they weren't there, I didn't know what we'd do. "Let's go."

"Wait. You go on ahead." She told me as we walked out. She stopped by the rec room door and I turned back to look at her. "I have to go find Alivia."

"We need to find her father first." I insisted. Jaime gave me a harsh look. "Look, Liv will be fine. We have to stop the hospital from getting destroyed."

"I have to make sure she's okay." She insisted. I sighed and turned around and started down the hall. But before I could get more than a few steps away from Jaime, I found myself staring right at Ryan, the youngest of Roddiseus' sons. He was standing all alone in the middle of the hallway, holding a ball of energy between his hands. Said ball of energy was steadily growing – already it was the size of a basketball – and beginning to glow a threatening shade of white. It took me only a split-second to realize what he was doing, but it was a split-second too late.

"Hit the deck!" I shouted, hoping that Jaime was still in earshot, before dropping to the ground. I hit the floor just as blinding flash of white light cast itself over the room. Everything went quiet as I tried to blink past the white light, my vision fading in and out for a few brief moments.

The light slowly faded away, allowing me to see a few things through the white mist. The wall where Ryan had been standing had been blown away, only rubble remaining, while pieces of debris still floated down from above. Despite the fact that we were on the main floor, I could see slithers of the black sky above us, between the columns of smoke.

Suddenly, something latched onto my arm. I snapped my head to the side and I think I may have shouted in surprise, though I still couldn't hear anything, when Jaime's face appeared right in front of mine. She mouthed something at me, something I couldn't quite make out.

"What?" I called. My hearing was starting to the return, my shouted echoing in my ears and sounding like it was underwater.

"I said, are you okay?" Jaime repeated herself, sounding much clearer this time. I nodded.

"I think so." My entire body ached, but nothing felt broken or badly damaged. "You?"

"I've had worse." She admitted, even as she rubbed her arm. I could see a nasty burn beginning to form on the forearm. I winced sympathetically, then got to my feet, using the nearby wall to keep my balance. "How could one of them do this much damage?"

I looked around, knowing that she was right. The damage was far too extensive to have only originated from where Ryan had been standing. "All thirteen of them must have used their energy ball to blast the place, then turned into their swarm form." I decided. "That's the best way to do the most damage."

"We have to go, get the others, get them out of here." Jaime said breathlessly, tone panicked.

"No, it's too late. We have to get out of here." I told her, grabbing her arm. Maybe, hopefully, the time machine would be intact and we could escape using that.

"No, no we can't run. There might be survivors." She insisted. I shook my head.

"No, there won't. Not many. The initial blast…most of it was focused in the ER. There must have been a few of the siblings in there when things went boom. That blast killed most of the heroes. Anyone left will be taken out one by one. We can't save them." I told her. It was the truth, unfortunately – months of studying what Roman and Riker had done had told me every detail about how the attack took place.

"We still have to go, we have to help." She insisted.

"It'll be a bloodbath." I argued. She hesitated.

"Go. Go back to your time machine, go back to the future. Save Dani or whatever you came back here to do." She encouraged. "Do what you need to do. But I'm going to do what I need to do, and that's go back in there and get as many people as I can out."

She pushed herself off the ground and started towards the ER. "Jaime, if you go in there, you'll die."

She stopped, that fact finally catching her attention. She turned her head to the side, without turning around. "Alivia. You said some heroes survived, is she one of them?"

I sighed, then nodded. "Yes. Yes, Alivia's alright. She's alive, she's okay."

She nodded. "Then that's the important thing." She decided.

"Jaime…" I tried one last time to stop her.

"Heroes die, Kaz. We all know that. But if we can save even one life, that makes it worth it." She assured me. She gave me one last smile, then took off in the direction of the explosion. I scrambled to my feet, about to go after her, but skidded to a stop as a dark grey swarm dived past me. I dropped back a step, narrowly avoiding being hit. But by time the swarm disappeared, in search of another victim, Jaime was gone, nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it, Jaime." I muttered, before turning around and running back down the hall. I leapt over a piece of debris, my arm covering my mouth as the smoke from the fires started to grow thicker.

Eventually, I made it to the storage closet. The walls were singed, the door was cracked and split down the middle, but by some miracle, the time machine inside was left undamaged. Taking one last look over my shoulder at Mighty Med, I wished Jaime the best of luck, then slid into the seat. "Bring me home." I murmured to the circular device before sliding it into its spot. I slammed my fist down on the green button. There was a flash of light, all too much like the explosion from before, and I was off.

**Xxx**

I reappeared in the lab room, back at the Centium City Davenport Industries building, right where I'd taken the time machine from.

I leaned back in the seat, taking a deep breath, thinking over everything that had happened. Jaime was dead, I didn't doubt that that fact hadn't changed. There was no way she could have survived going in there. God, I knew it was going to happen; the future isn't that easy to change. But seeing her again…it just made it hurt more. And Dani, undercover. Not evil, just undercover. That was a lot to take in, I admit. Like, a lot. And I wasn't sure whether I was more relieved that she wasn't truly evil than I was angry at her for lying to us.

Letting out a slow breath, I looked around, thanking my lucky stars that I was home again. The buttons on the time machine caught my eye, the red one in particular. Curious, I pressed the button, but nothing happened. Figures, Calla would have a fake button labelled 'do not touch' that was only to screw with us.

Alright, enough fun. I was going to have a little word with a certain red head.

**Xxx**

"Hey Kaz." Jazz smiled at me as I walked into Mighty Med 2.0., carrying a few files in her hands. She walked over to a nearby hospital bed, handing them off to Oliver as he examined the patient.

"Hey, you seen Geminus?" I asked the intern. "Scarlet Ace said I could find her here."

"Yeah, she came in with some cracked ribs. She's stuck here for the night, so she got a private room." She replied. She checked over the papers in her hands. "Room 206."

"Thanks kid." I smiled at her before heading towards the stairs. I jogged up the stairs then headed down the hallway. "Alright, Red. We need to talk." I declared, shoving open the correct door. To my surprise, Alivia wasn't alone.

"Ah, Kaz. Good, you're here." Horace spared me a glance. "Then you can explain to Geminus why taking on six guys by herself may not be the right course of action."

I just stared at him, stunned, even as he walked out of the room. I guess Jaime was able to save more lives.

"Hey." Alivia caught my attention. She was lying on the bed, looking more bored than hurt. "What's up?"

"We need to talk." I told her, crossing my arms.


	4. Pandemic

**Kaz's POV**

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I demanded. She rolled her eyes and leaned back on her pillow, wincing as she did so.

"Ugh, not you too. Look, Lils already got annoyed at me. No more taking on more than three guys solo, I get it." She insisted. I shook my head.

"Not what I'm talking about." I snapped. She nodded.

"Okay, cool. At least this lecture won't be as similar as Horace, Oliver, or Lily's." She commented. She put one hand behind her bed, relaxing. "So, what's up? What did I do to piss you off?"

"How about making my girlfriend go undercover to spy on her mom?" I suggested. Her mouth snapped shut, giving her a deer-in-headlights expression. She sat up really quickly, fast enough for the movement to jar her damaged ribs. She sucked in a sharp breath, even as she stared at me.

"What?" She demanded, absolutely shocked, wrapping her arms around her midsection. Letting out an irritable sigh, I swiped an ice pack off the counter.

"Ice it. Twenty minutes." I ordered before crossing my arms once more. "Now, Dani, undercover, what the hell?"

"Dani, she's not…" I raised an eyebrow as she started to lie to me. She shook her head in disbelief. "How did you know?"

"Doesn't matter." I growled. She nodded.

"Yeah, it does. Kaz, how did you find out?" She insisted.

"Time travel, long story. Don't worry; no one else knows." I assured her, realizing what she was worried about. "I'm not about to risk her getting busted by telling everyone."

"Good, good. Kaz-" She started to get up, but I put my hand on her shoulder, sitting her back down on the bed.

"Ice." I insisted. She complied, pressing the ice pack to her ribs with a slight grimace.

"No one can know. Kaz, no one." She insisted.

"Yeah, about that. What the hell, Liv? We're your friends; we're her team. I'm…well I'm me! How could you guys lie to us like this?" I demanded. "Seriously, how could you?"

"Look, Bridget had to be taken out. The best way to do that was to have someone on the inside-" She began. I shook my head.

"No, I get that. And honestly, I don't absolutely hate the plan, except for the fact that it involves lying to all of us." I told her. "Oh, and Dani taking all the risks; I'm not cool with that either."

"Kaz, calm down." She looked at me seriously. I glared at her. "I mean it. Take a breath. Now, you pointed out that Dani's taking a lot of risks. Yeah, she is. One of those biggest risks is that Bridget could find out. The less people who know, the safer she is. We lied to everyone, so don't take it so personally."

"You really think that any of us would tell Bridget or any of her goons?" I demanded. "Who do you think we are, Alivia?"

She stood up, dropping the ice bag on the bed, to stare me in the eye. "I think Oliver is one of the worst liars I've ever met and there's no way Skylar could keep something like this from him. I think that I don't know Calla, Chase, or Bree very well and Jaden even less and I couldn't be sure they wouldn't accidently reveal what she was doing, especially if their significant other was on the line. And I think that there is no way in hell that you would have ever let Dani do something this dangerous without being her backup, and there is no way Dani would agree to anything that put you directly in her mother's crossfire."

I glared at her, curling my fists. The worst part of all of this? She wasn't wrong. Oliver was a terrible liar and Skylar was too loyal to us to keep something like that from us, especially not Oliver. Alivia didn't know Calla, Chase, Bree, or Jaden enough to make a fair judgement call. And I wouldn't have let Dani do this alone. And to be fair, if any of us had known about this plan, we'd have stopped Dani from doing it – it was too dangerous, too high risk.

"So she takes all the risk, and you do what?" I questioned, changing topics. "You watch from the sidelines."

"You think I like that? That my friend has to be the one in danger at my request?" She demanded.

"You shouldn't have asked her in the first place!" I shouted. She looked at me, her gaze cold. "You shouldn't have asked her to do something so dangerous, Alivia, and you know it."

"Bridget is dangerous. She's the most powerful villain in the world, Kaz. Sometimes, you have to take risks and do dangerous shit. Because that's what heroes do – they put themselves at risk to stop people from getting hurt." She snapped. "Dani did this because it was the right thing to do."

"Oh, please. That's not why she did it." I rolled my eyes. Alivia frowned at me.

"What are you talking about? Of course she did." She insisted. I shook my head.

"She didn't agree to this because she wanted to stop her mother. Honestly, I think she would have been perfectly fine if she never saw Bridget again in her life." I snapped. "She did this because you asked."

Alivia shook her head. "She said no. The first time I asked, she said no."

I nodded, expecting that response. "Yeah, she did. Then you died, or at least we thought you did, and I guarantee you that the only thing running through her head was that the last thing she did with her best friend was fight." I said slowly, carefully, to make sure every word got through to her. "Now, let me guess. The day she changed her mind and decided that she wanted to go through with this plan was the same day she found out you were really alive, right?" Alivia didn't answer, looking away. "How much of her decision do you think was motivated by guilt?"

Alivia turned to respond, and I could see all of it in her eyes – this wasn't the first time the thought had occurred to her. But before she could find the words to reply, the lights in the room turned red and an alarm began to blare across the entire hospital.

**xxx**

"What's going on?" I demanded, leaning over the edge of the railing on the balcony, Alivia right behind me. I could see that the entrance to Mighty Med 2.0. had closed up, a large, thick metal door sealing it. Calla was here, for some reason, standing in the reception area alongside Horace.

"Hey, what's going on?" Oliver questioned, poking his head out of his office. He looked at me for an answer, but I shrugged helplessly.

"Hey!" Calla called, getting our attention. She waved at us. "Get down here."

"Coming!" I called back, already heading for the stairs. Jogging down two at a time, we raced towards her. "What's with the alarms?"

"The hospital's in lockdown." Horace explained as Calla worked on the computer. I could see her entering complicated files with strange formulas on them. "The oxysensors detected something in the air."

"What did they detect?" Oliver questioned, leaning on the reception desk to look at Calla. She furrowed her brow, frowning at the formulas.

"I don't know. I've managed to isolate what got added to the air, but I don't recognize half of the elements in it." She shook her head before turning to look at Horace. "Whatever this is, I don't think it came from Earth."

"Well, is it dangerous?" I asked the most obvious question. Calla shrugged.

"I don't know. But it's been in the air for a total of four and a half minutes now, and no one's reacting to it, so it's possible it's not." She mentioned. "But I won't know for sure until I run some tests on it."

"Do it. You can use the rec room to work." Horace told her. She nodded and stood up. "Until we figure out what this is, the hospital is under quarantine. No one in and no one out. Understand?"

"Yeah, Horace. We understand." I replied. He nodded and walked away to deal with another patient. Calla turned to us.

"Alright, the only reason I came here in the first place was to update the bionic capsules. Oliver, Skylar, would you guys mind doing that for me? It's simple, all you have to do is download the update and make sure the system stays on while doing it." She requested, offering them a hard drive. Skylar nodded, taking it from her.

"Sure. Easy." She replied. Calla nodded.

"Alright, Kaz, you're going to help me figure out what this is." She added. "Geminus…you take it easy. Relax a bit."

"Uh, you sure you want my help? Oliver's better at the whole science thing." I pointed out. Calla shook her head.

"No, I want you." She insisted. I frowned and exchanged looks with Oliver, but didn't object a second time.

"I'm not just going to go and chill if something's wrong." Alivia insisted.

"There might not be. If a new superhero from another planet showed up, carrying the scent of his or her planet, then it's possible that the oxysensors picked up on that. Besides, no offense, Gem, but there's not much you can do." Calla told her. She shrugged. "If you want to help, keep an eye on everyone. If they're acting unusual or are showing symptoms that don't match what they came in here with, let me know."

"On it." Alivia nodded. She looked at me, then glanced at the others. "Can we finish this conversation before…" Before I tell everyone, she meant. Stiffly, I nodded, then followed Calla towards the rec room.

**xxx**

"Alright…" Calla placed a vial into a centrifuge device before closing it and pressing a button. "We should have a synthesized version of the gas in about twenty minutes. Then we'll be able to determine what it is and if its harmful to us."

"So we just wait?" I questioned. She nodded. "Then why did you need my help?"

"I didn't. Just wanted to ask you something." She admitted, sitting down on the arm of a lounge chair. She fixed me a look that was half curious, half annoyed. "So, how did you little time travel trip go?"

I snapped my head towards her, eyes widening in surprise. "How…"

"Did you really think I label a button 'do not touch' if I really didn't want you to touch it?" She scoffed. She rolled her eyes. "Please, I know you guys; the moment you're told not to do something, you just want to do it more."

Figures. "What did that button do?"

"Sent me a pic from one of the hidden security cameras, a security camera that wasn't on the main feed so whatever you did to my main cameras wouldn't affect it." She crossed her arms. "So, you going to tell me what the hell you were doing with my time machine?"

I sighed. "I was trying to stop Dee from turning evil."

Calla's expression changed from annoyance to pity. "Oh, Kaz…I don't think it's that easy."

"Believe me, I know." I agreed. She patted me on the shoulder gently.

"You can't do that again. Time travel has consequences. It's one thing if we've planned everything out to make sure nothing goes wrong, but doing it on a whim? That's dangerous." She told me. I nodded.

"I know. Sorry." I apologized. She sighed and put her hands on the back of the chair, leaning back.

"How much did you do? Much how did you change?" She asked. I shook my head helplessly.

I shook my head helplessly. "I'm not really sure if I changed that much. I mean, Horace is back, but aside from that, I don't know."

"Back?" Calla furrowed her brow. She opened her mouth to say something else, then coughed deeply, bringing her arm up to her mouth. "Sorry." She muttered, clearing her throat. "I think I caught whatever cold Jay had last week. So, you were saying?"

Before I had a chance to respond, Alivia stepped into the room. "Hey guys, we have a problem."

**Xxx**

"Yeah, I don't think you caught Jaden's cold." I decided.

The ER was filled with at least a dozen, at least a dozen of them coughing like 80-year-old smokers.

"When did this start?" I questioned, walking over to Oliver. He was busy dealing with a younger patient, one of the sidekicks that had started working with the NLH. He shrugged as he gently placed a thermometer in the teenage boy's mouth.

"Hard to tell. A few started coughing before the sensors picked up on the contaminant in the air. I was telling people to just pick up some decongestants; I thought it was just a cold." He replied, removing the thermometer as it beeped. He frowned, looking at the reading. "102. And rising."

"So, what is this?" Skylar questioned. "Is it dangerous, or what?"

"It doesn't look like it yet." Horace assured her. "But we won't know for sure until we do any tests."

"I can…" Calla paused to cough, "I can run some soon. I can get you results within a half hour."

"Good. Sit." I ordered. She gave me a look. I raised an eyebrow and gestured towards the nearby hospital bed. "Sit."

"I'm fine. I need to go run those tests." She insisted, even as she sat down. I grabbed one of the temporal thermometers and placed it against her forehead.

"Yeah, well, you can't run any until the synthesized version of the gas is ready and that won't be for another ten minutes, so sit still and let me make sure you don't have a fever." I insisted. I checked the thermometer. "Okay, 100.5."

"See? No fever." She smirked and hopped off the bed.

"No, but you are hotter than usual." I noted. I looked at Oliver. "We should check everyone with a cough for a fever. Jaz-"

"Benny, Jazz, start going around, check everyone for a fever." Horace ordered, cutting me off. Oh, right. If he survived, that meant that Calla probably put him in charge of Mighty Med 2.0. instead of Oliver, Dani, and I. It made sense, really, though it kinda sucked that I didn't get to boss people around anymore.

"I'm going to go work on those tests." Calla declared. "Skylar, a hand?"

"Sure." The alien nodded and followed Calla towards the rec room.

"Alright, we should start checking if anyone else has different symptoms." I turned to Oliver, but he was already gone, checking on different patients. "Good idea, Kaz. Thank you, Kaz." I muttered sarcastically to myself before going off to do what I'd just suggested.

**Xxx**

True to her word, Calla had the results of her test in no less than 27 and a half minutes. Unfortunately, her delivery of the results was less than desirable.

"Well, we're all screwed." The genius announced, walking into the ER, clutching some papers in her raised hand. She slammed them onto the counter. "No, seriously. We're screwed."

"What," Oliver coughed, "are you talking about?"

"The contaminant in the air? It's deadly." Skylar explained. Calla cleared her throat, nodding.

"I ran a few tests. You know how everyone is running fevers?" She questioned. We nodded. "Well, those fevers are just going to keep getting higher and higher until they cause brain damage. Which will lead to everyone dying."

"Are you serious?" I demanded. She nodded, grimacing. "But how? How did this get into the hospital?"

"There was an outbreak on Gorlax a few weeks ago. Someone must have brought it back here as a carrier." Skylar replied before coughing harshly into her hand.

"How did Gorlaxians deal with it?" Horace questioned. Skylar shook her head.

"They didn't. Their species can survive core temperatures of up to 200 degrees. This is like a cold to them." She explained.

"Some species can handle this fine. But humans definitely can't." Calla insisted. "And considering that most of the people here are human, that's a problem."

"Well, can't you fix it?" I asked the obvious questioned. Calla turned on me, giving me a look.

"I'm an expert in biomechanical engineering and technology. You know, man-made stuff. That's easy. But alien pathogens? You've got the wrong girl."

"Well, we need to figure out something." Oliver insisted, crossing his arms.

"Obviously." Calla agreed.

"Look, you have the synthesized version of the pathogen, correct?" Horace questioned. Calla nodded. "Alright, you and I will work on creating a cure. I'm sure if we put our heads together, we'll be able to find something that works. Kaz, Oliver, you two stay here, in the ER, and do your best to keep people comfortable and alive."

"Yeah, okay." Oliver and I both nodded. Calla and Horace headed for the rec area, while Oliver and I looked at the steadily growing number of people in the ER. The hospital may be under lockdown, but the staff members and the patients we already had were quickly getting infected. "Uh, I'll take this half and you take that one?" I suggested. He shrugged.

"Whatever." He replied, walking over to the other side. So, I guess we were still fighting. Time travel couldn't fix everything, I guess.

"You guys are still fighting?" Alivia observed as I started checking on people. I nodded, then gestured for her to sit on the gurney in front of me. She complied, coughing harshly. "Ow." She muttered, wrapping her arms around her ribs. "Not fun."

"Yeah, we're fighting. You know what I just realized? It's stupid." I replied, pulling out a thermal thermometer. I placed it against her forehead. "I mean, we're fighting about a stupid decision you and Dani made. It's ridiculous."

"I am sorry." She apologized. I looked at her. "We weren't trying to hurt you guys. You do know that, right?"

"Yeah, well, you did." I retorted. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself tighter. Chills, a classic symptom of a fever. I frowned as the thermometer beeped. 102.4. Great.

"You're right. And if I were a better friend, I wouldn't have lied to you or even asked Dani to do something so reckless." She admitted. She fixed me a hard stare. "But I'm not just your friend, Kaz; I'm the leader of the New League of Heroes. And that means that I sometimes have to make decisions that put the needs of humanity above the people I care about."

"Okay, one, you're not my friend. Two, don't give me some speech about the greater good. I know what it takes to be a hero." I growled at her before moving on to another gurney. I smiled at the intern who was sitting on the gurney. "Hey Jazz, how you feeling?"

"Cold and achy." She admitted, pulling a blanket tighter around her shoulders.

"Don't worry. Horace and Calla will come up with something soon." I assured her as I took her temperature.

"Look, Kaz, I know you're pissed that we lied-" Alivia came up behind me, stubbornly refusing to let me have the last word. So, I tried another technique.

"So, who  _did_  you tell? I mean, obviously you told Lily." I glanced at the thermometer, then gave Jazz another smile. "Alright, you wanna do me a favor? There are some fever reducers in the storage area. Grab all of them and bring them in here. And take one for yourself."

"Okay." She slid off the gurney and slowly headed down one of the hallways.

"What do you mean obviously?" Alivia questioned. I looked at her.

"C'mon, I mean, you had to tell her. That big of a lie would really impact your relationship, and God forbid that happen to you." I replied in a falsely cheerful voice. She sighed, but didn't object to the fact that Lily was in the know. Figures. "Look, Alivia, I'm pissed. There's no point in denying that. And yeah, I know that this wasn't just you and that Dani was the one who agreed to do all this, and I'm angry with her too, but if this goes wrong and anything happens to her, I'm holding you responsible."

"Fair enough." She nodded.

"Good. Now go grab a fever reducer and lie down. Now." I instructed before moving onto my next patient. "Alright, how are you feeling?"

**Xxx**

We ran out of fever reducers after about twenty minutes, and people's fevers were still getting higher. It was like they were having no effect. Skylar had come down sick by now, and judging by the coughs Oliver was trying to stifle, he was to. Hoping to find something that would combat the fever, or at least some blankets, I headed down the hall towards the storage rooms.

"…No, no. It's just a mechanical thing. Someone probably unplugged the wrong thing while trying to find somewhere to charge their phone." Calla was leaning against one of the walls, talking on the phone. "I'm serious, go. Grab some back up from the Academy and go. I'll see you when you get back." She paused, listening, a small smile on her face. "Love you too."

I walked over to her when she hung up. "Was that Chase?" I guessed. She nodded tiredly, wiping her forehead.

"Yeah. They got a mission alert." She explained. "I told him to go without us."

"You lied to him." I noted. She hesitated, then shrugged.

"If I told him the truth, then he'd rush down here before I could even finish my sentence. We're heroes – the mission has to come first." She pointed out logically. She forced a smile. "Besides, we're going to be fine, so why worry him needlessly?"

"So is the cure finished?" I questioned. She nodded.

"Yeah, just about. I think Horace went to find a volunteer to test it out." She replied before breaking into a particularly rough coughing fit. She reached out, grabbing my arm to stop herself from dropping to her knees. "Sorry." She muttered breathlessly when it was done.

"You look like crap." I told her bluntly. She laughed softly, amused.

"Thanks." She rolled her eyes. "You look…" She paused, then frowned and cocked her head. "Well, I was about to say you looked shitty too, but to be honest, you don't."

"I don't feel bad either." I replied, noticing it for the first time. Everyone else was pretty much sweating through 103/104 degree fevers and coughing their lungs out, but I felt absolutely normal. Huh, maybe it just hadn't hit me yet.

"Guys!" Skylar called, her tone urgent. "Calla, Kaz!"

"Coming!" I shouted. Calla nodded, pocketed her phone and led me into the ER. Horace, Skylar, and Oliver were standing in front of Alivia, who was kneeling on the ground, presumably recovering from a coughing fit. "What's going…oh."

Alivia looked up at me and I noticed a blob of crimson in her curled up fist. "The 'cure' just made things worse." Oliver mentioned before coughing harshly.

"I don't know how to do this." Calla sighed, sitting down on the gurney. "Dr. Diaz?"

"I've never seen anything like this before." The doctor agreed, shaking his head. "The way it spread so fast, how badly it's getting so quickly, it's something completely new."

"How are you not sick?" Skylar grumbled, looking at me, almost accusingly. I shrugged, not knowing the answer myself. But that caught the others' attentions.

"Yeah, actually, you aren't sick, are you?" Oliver questioned, looking at me carefully. I shrugged again.

"I feel normal and I don't think I've been coughing at all or anything. But I've been exposed to it, just like you guys." I mentioned, confused. Calla frowned at me, looking at me like I was some sort of equation that she needed to figure out. Truth be told, they were all staring at me like that and it was beginning to make me feel uncomfortable. "Guys?"

"Wait…the pathogen's main effect is a fever…" Skylar hummed, working it out aloud. "And Kaz is pyrokinetic. You can survive massive temperature spikes, right?"

"The highest we've tested is three hundred degrees." I mentioned, remembering that little training session with Chase.

"Well that must be why you're immune. It's just like with the Gorlaxians." Alivia mentioned, pulling herself onto the gurney with a little help from Oliver.

"Is there a way we can use this to make a cure?" Oliver questioned. Horace snapped his fingers and pointed at him grinning.

"Yes. Well done, Oliver!" He exclaimed. He looked at me. "If we have a sample of your blood, we can manipulate it to create a cure."

"Yeah, sure. Take what you need." I agreed quickly. Calla nodded.

"Okay, this might work." She grinned.

**Xxx**

"They said it should only be a couple more minutes." I mentioned, heading over to Oliver. He was sitting at the reception desk, head in his hands. He nodded slightly when I said that, not moving his hands. "Headache?" I guessed. He nodded again. "Listen, man, we need to talk."

"About?" He questioned.

"Dani." I replied. He sighed loudly.

"Kaz, if this is another one of your far-fetched theories…" He began before coughing harshly.

"It's not like the other times, I swear." I promised him. He looked up, confused, but before he could ask anything, Calla, Horace, and Skylar entered the room, carrying vials of an amber-colored serum.

"Alright, who wants to go first?" Calla questioned. I glanced at Alivia, who'd volunteered last time, but she was lying on a gurney, dozing slightly.

"I will, I guess." Jazz stepped forward. Horace nodded appreciatively at her.

"That a girl." He encouraged her, pulling the stopper off of one the vials. He handed it to her.

"I just drink it?" She questioned. He nodded and she brought the vial up to her lips. She drank a bit of it, then chugged the rest, coughing harshly when she finished. "Oh my God, that tastes horrible."

"Yeah, couldn't find any flavoring." Calla replied apologetically, holding her hand out. Jazz handed her the vial back.

"How long until we know if it's working?" Oliver called, sitting up.

"Only a couple of minutes. It should be fast acting." Skylar assured us as she gathered up several vials in her arms. She, along with Horace, Calla, and I, started handing them out to the patients, helping the weaker ones drink them.

"Oh, God." Oliver wiped his mouth, grimacing. "Calla, that tastes like expired milk."

"It's not that…" The genius retorted, gulping her own serum down quickly. "No, never mind. It really is that bad."

"To be fair, it probably doesn't taste worse than her cooking." I mentioned to Jazz, earning a laugh from the younger girl. I ducked as a plastic vial went flying at my head.

"I heard that!" Calla snapped. Horace chuckled at our shenanigans, then patted one of the hospital beds, motioning for Jazz to sit. She did as she was told and let him check her temperature.

"101.4. A little high." He mentioned.

"But it was at 103.8 less than an hour ago." I pointed out. He nodded thoughtfully.

"Then I believe it's working then." He decided. He looked at his three favorite nurses. "Benny, Philip, Jazz, I want you to go around, checking everyone's temperatures. If anyone is still above 101.5, I want to know about it, alright?"

"And those of us who are below 101.5?" Alivia questioned, sitting up. Horace considered it.

"Anyone who's between 100.5 and 101.5, I want you to spend the night, just to be sure. Anyone who is below that can go home if they wish." He announced. Oliver nodded, then looked at me.

"Since they're checking temps, maybe now's a good time to talk?" He guessed. I nodded.

"The rec room?" I suggested. He frowned.

"Why not here?" He asked.

"Because trust me, this is a one-on-one type of thing, man." I told him, leading him towards the rec room. Now that that crisis was over, time to get back to what was really important.


	5. Back for More

**Bree's POV**

"Hey, Calla, you ready?" I called, walking into the Penthouse. Chase, who was sitting on the couch, looked up from his tablet.

"She's not here." He let me know. "Dr. Diaz called her about an hour ago, said one of the capsules were sparking or something. I don't know when she's going to be back."

I sighed, dropping my bag onto the ground. "Crap. She was supposed to help me study for my art history midterm."

"I could help you study." He offered. I grimaced at the idea; Chase would probably know this stuff better than Calla, but he also had the habit of making you feel stupid if you got a question wrong.

"Uh, no thanks." I said quickly, taking a seat. "I can just wait for her to get back. I'm in no rush or anything."

Chase shrugged, having got used to not being asked to help me or Adam with our homework years ago. "No Jaden?"

"Working." I replied with a shrug. I looked at him, then nodded at his tablet. "You too, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah. Deputy Mayor Johnson just announced that he's retiring in a couple of months. Mayor Hannon recommended I apply for his position." He replied. I raised my eyebrows, surprised.

"Chase, that's awesome!" I exclaimed. He smirked a little.

"If I get the job, it'll be amazing." He corrected. I gave him a look.

"Chase, you're  _the_  bionic boy. You're going to get the job. Hell, we're so famous that I can get free fro-yo from some places." I mentioned.

"Calla said that too. Where are you guys going for fro-yo?" He questioned incredulously. Before I could answer, I was cut off by MISS, the home AI system.

" _Apologies for interrupting, but a situation has arisen that requires your attention."_  She declared. I frowned, raising my chin.

"What's going on, MISS?" I questioned.

" _There's been a breach of security at the KMBM building in Chicago."_ The AI announced. I looked at Chase in confusion.

"It's a science center for some of the world's most brilliant scientists. You have to be a member of Mensa just to walk through the doors." He explained, frowning. "What sort of security breach?"

"The building was broken into, and it appears that several of the scientists are being kept inside." MISS informed us. Chase nodded.

"Send me the coordinates." He ordered, already pulling out his phone. He hit the speed dial and brought the phone up to his ear. "Hey, we've got a mission alert. Think you can grab Oliver and Skylar? I have no idea where Kaz is…" He trailed off, listening to whoever was on the other end. "What, why not?"

I crossed my arms, waiting as whoever he was talking to finished. "…Are you sure?" He questioned. There was a pause. "Alright. Love you."

He waited another moment, then hung up the phone. "Calla, Kaz, Oliver, and Skylar are stuck at Mighty Med. Some mechanical error locked down the hospital." He explained. I nodded.

"Alright, we can just go stop the baddies ourselves. It doesn't look like it's going to that difficult to beat a few, powerless baddies."

" _That might be more difficult than you imagine. This was taken just minutes before the security alert went out."_ The TV flipped on and MISS showed us an image of a short, Asian man entering the building. I recognized him immediately, looking at Chase to make sure I wasn't wrong.

"Dr. Gao." Chase sneered. "He's back."

"He won't be going in alone." I commented. "He worked with Krane in the past."

"So he might be working with Sebastian now." Chase agreed. He sighed irritably. "And our team is trapped in a hospital."

Despite that, I smiled. "They're not our only team."

**Xxx**

"Nice place." I commented, looking up at the building. "Any idea how we're going to get in?"

"I've got a couple of ideas." Chase mumbled.

"Yo!" We turned to see Adam and Leo jogging towards us, wearing their own mission suits. Adam gave me a quick hug, smirking at us. "So, back for another mission?"

"Figured it was about time for a family reunion." Chase agreed.

"So, what's the mission?" Leo inquired. "You basically just said Gao was back."

" _Okay, so there's about fifteen people in the 8th floor of the building. Since they're the only ones left in the building, I think it's a safe bet that they're the ones Gao is holding captive."_ Jaden had offered to handle mission command for us, since Calla was unavailable.  _"Unfortunately, all I've got are heat sensors, not cameras, so there's no way to tell how many of those are hostages and how many are working for Gao. Or who they are."_

"It's a smart guess to say that Gao's teamed up with Sebastian and the rest of them, so half of are probably bad guys." Chase commented.

"And powered ones at that." I added.

"Sounds like fun." Adam cracked his knuckles, grinning. I smiled back; this was just like old times.

"Alright, let's go." Leo smirked and headed towards the building. "Jaden, how many ways up are there? Just the stairs and the main elevator?"

" _Um…There's a service elevator near the back. But it's sealed off from the outside. You'll have to get into the basement from the front and go through there."_  Jaden replied after a minute.

"That'll take too long." Adam complained. "Can't I just punch a hole in the wall or something?"

"That'll be too loud." Chase quickly shot down that idea. Then, on second thought. "But maybe you have a point. Jaden, I need you to pinpoint exactly where that elevator is."

" _Uh, give me a sec. CeeCee's got a weird-ass set up here."_ Jaden replied.

"Her set up isn't weird just because you don't understand it." Chase grumbled. I smiled, amused.

" _No, it's weird because she's password protected everything._ " Jaden retorted.  _"Alright, the elevator shaft is just behind that wall, exactly 3 and ¼ feet to your left."_

"Alright." Chase took a few steps to the left, frowning. "Adam, come right here. I want you to use your heat vision to cut a hole in the wall."

"Ah, nice." Adam grinned before focusing his heat vision on the wall. Slowly, he cut a large hole in the cement wall, just big enough to climb through. Once he was done, Chase raised one hand to his temple while extending his other towards the wall. He quickly used his telekinesis to remove the portion of cement Adam had cut around, lying it on the ground below. "Now what?"

Before anyone could answer him, the elevator slid down the shaft in front of us, continuing on until it had passed. I glanced inside to see how far down the elevator was. "It looks like it's only one floor below. We can climb in from the top."

"Exactly the plan." Chase replied. I smirked, then swung my legs over the edge of the hole. I glanced back at the boys.

"Did I mentioned I missed working with you guys?" I mentioned, almost laughing, before pushing myself off the edge of the hole.

**Xxx**

"Alright, my sensors are picking up on fifteen bodies of heat." Chase declared, removing his fingers from his temple. We were in the hall just outside the conference room Dr. Gao was holding the scientists prisoner.

"Wait, why did Gao kidnap those guys anyway?" Leo questioned.

"It doesn't matter. We have to save them." I insisted. Chase nodded.

"But it's impossible to figure out where the hostages are." He mumbled, looking back at us. "We'll be going in blind."

"Maybe there's a way we can-" Leo was cut off as the door to the conference room opened. Quickly, we ducked into a nearby office, leaving the door creaked just enough so we could listen in.

"This is stupid and a waste of our time." The first voice, distinctly female and unfortunately familiar, declared.

"Only in your opinion. You got somewhere to be, Sparky?" That was Sebastian, challenging his colleague.

"Yeah, anywhere but here." Dani insisted. "Why my mother is making us help this guy is beyond me. I mean, she only hired him in the first place to help with the Arcturion, and since we don't have that, I don't get why we're still working with him."

"There's a bigger plan in play." Sebastian assured her. Looking through the crack between the door and the doorframe, I saw Dani cross her arms, annoyed.

"One you won't tell me." She argued. Sebastian looked at her.

"Why do you care so much?" He questioned. "Our job is to follow orders, not ask questions."

"My mother lied to me for years about all of this. I don't like being kept in the dark." Dani snapped irritably. "Especially not when members of my team are keeping things from me."

"Pot, meet kettle." Chase muttered. I silently agreed with him – quite the double standard our old friend had.

"Look, don't worry about it. Gao's found a way to work around our Arcturion problem." Well, that didn't sound ominous at all. "The only reason I know about it is because he used to work with my father and wanted to include me."

"I don't see why you can't tell me." Dani tried a different tactic, dropping her arms and smiling charmingly at Sebastian. He smirked, clearly interested.

"Well, how about this: after we finish up here, we find a nice quiet place away from the compound and we grab a bite to eat? Maybe then I'll tell you."

Did he really just ask her out? Before Dani could respond – I was very curious to hear what she would have said – the door to the conference room opened up again and Mort stepped out. Between his legs, I could see into the room. Several people I didn't recognize, presumably scientists, were all sitting on the ground, Tank and Lexi standing above them. Gao was nowhere to be seen.

"Boss wants you guys." The lizard-like mutant told them. Sebastian followed him in, Dani right behind him. At least she started to follow him, until a soft  _thud_  came from right behind us. Turning my head, I saw Leo holding a trash bin, a panicked look on his face. He must have started to get up only to accidently knock it over.

Dani lingered in the hall a moment later, eyes scanning the hall as she tried to locate the cause of the sound. She took a step towards the door, then stopped when Sebastian's voice came from the conference room.

"Short Circuit, c'mon!" He called. She looked around one last time, then thankfully headed into the conference room.

"Sorry." Leo murmured once we were sure they were out of earshot.

"I got a peek inside." I whispered. "Most of the scientists are on the ground, with Tank and Lexi guarding them. No sign of Gao though."

"How many scientists?" Leo questioned. I thought back.

"Eight." I replied. Chase quickly did the math in his head.

"That's only thirteen people we've seen. Gao makes fourteen…he must have another scientist in there." He decided.

"What's the plan?" We all looked at Chase.

"Alright, we charge in there, attack Gao and Bridget's minions right off the bat. If we don't give them a chance to react, we might be able to take them out." He decided. "Okay, so Tank's the strongest, so Adam, he's all yours."

"Yeah!" Adam grinned, already pumped.

"I'll take the lizard guy." Leo offered. "Calla had me run some tests on the gunk stuff he left behind when they attacked then Penthouse and my fire balls are the best thing we've got against his lizard spit."

"You're really offering to fight the guy whose number one ability involves spitting on you?" I questioned. Leo hesitated, realizing that I was right.

"Apparently so." He agreed.

"Chase, you take Sebastian. I want Lexi and Dani." I told the others. Chase looked at me, concerned.

"Both of them?" He questioned. I nodded.

"Lexi was my student before the Rebellion, not to mention a speedster." I reasoned. "And honestly, I'd really like to get a few shots in on Dani."

"Fair enough." Chase agreed. He looked at the rest of us. "Ready?"

We all exchanged looks. "Ready."

**Dani's POV**

I tapped my foot nervously, trying not to glance towards the door. I hadn't wanted to come here in the first place – my job was to gather information on my mother, not this Gao guy – and now, everything was going to hell. First we kidnap a bunch of nerds so that Gao could force them to help him with some super secret formula, then someone shows up to stop us. None of the others had noticed, but there was definitely someone in the room across the hall. And with my luck, it would be Kaz or something.

Sure enough, barely a few minutes after Sebastian and I had re-entered the room – Gao wanted us to watch the scientists he wasn't currently speaking to so they wouldn't try anything stupid – the door was thrown open. Before anyone could really process what was happening, a blur too fast to identify slammed into me, throwing me to the ground.

All chaos broke loose. Chase charged in, heading straight for Sebastian, his bo staff spinning, while Leo, the Davenport's step brother, targeted Mort with a massive fireball. Adam, the oldest of the Davenport siblings, leapt at Tank, tackling the massive, non-verbal man to the ground, while the blur, the one my mind now realized was Bree, sped away from me to attack Lexi.

Clambering to my feet, I tried to figure a way out of this. I didn't want to fight my team, had been avoiding this situation for months, but there was no way I could not fight them without blowing my cover. Damn it!

"Hey!" Suddenly, Bree lunged at me, clearly switching between Lexi and I to keep us off guard. She shoved me up against the wall, brown eyes glaring into me. I could see how much she hated me for what I'd done to the team. I pushed her off me, then ducked out of the way as she lunged again. She sped off, leaping at Lexi, while I recollected my breath.

The scientists were a mess, some having already ran from the room while others ducked behind the conference table, too scared to really do anything. I watched as Gao grabbed one of the scientists and vanished with him, geoleaping far away. Figures. From what little I knew about the man, he was a coward who only cared about what happened to him. It wasn't a surprise that he'd grab the guy he needed and head back to the safety of his lab.

Bree slammed into me again, this throwing me against the window. I gasped, both relieved and shocked, when the glass didn't break behind me. "Hey!" I gasped, stunned.

"Please, you can fly.  _I'm_ not a killer." She snapped. Alright, enough was enough.

"Lexi, round up the scientists!" I snapped before grabbing Bree's shoulders. Using her as leverage, I quickly lifted my feet from the floor to the wall just underneath the window, then pushed off the wall, propelling me towards her. She hadn't been expecting it – Bree had always been one of those act-on-instinct type of girls – and toppled backwards, knocking into Tank. Adam took advantage of Tank's distraction, switching from grappling with the guy to full on taking a swing at his face. The sudden blow knocked Tank off balance and I made a split-second decision. I dropped to my knees, twisting in a way that made it look like I'd hurt my ankle, just in time for Tank to trip over me.

Tank was down, but before Adam could decide whether to help Bree with me or go after Lexi, a large, gross glob of Mort's lizard spit was launched at the bionic hero's chest. The glob, large enough to coat Adam's entire right arm, plastered the limb against the wall right behind him. Glancing over my shoulder, I could see Leo preparing a fire ball. I stood up and was about to cry Mort's name, hopefully distract him enough that Leo's blast made its mark, but Bree's elbow slammed into my shoulder blade, this time dropping me to my knees for real as the air rushed from my lungs.

I coughed and spluttered to regain my breath, even as Bree pulled out a pair of power-nullifying cuffs. Panicking – the last thing I needed was to be caught – I spun around on one leg, using the other to kick her legs out from under her. She tripped, but recovered quickly enough to grab me by the front of the shirt and throw me towards one of the windows again. I ducked at the last minute, but pushed into her, knocking her to the ground rather than letting her momentum push her into the glass.

I dropped back while she recovered, moving to 'help' Mort. So far, this act of helping while really hindering my team was working out pretty well; my team was losing ground in the fight, but it was impossible to pin it on me either. "Hey!" I shouted, lunging at Leo, fist raised. He caught my fist mid-air with his bionic arm, tightening his grip so that it caused just the slightest bit of pain, before grabbing my elbow with his other hand and swinging me into Mort.

I stumbled back a couple of more steps than I should have, forcing Mort back a bit too, just before ducking. A fireball Leo had intended for me hit Mort right in the shoulder, knocking the mutant into the wall, his shirt sleeve smoking slightly. I took a step towards Leo, spinning around at the last minute to send a spinning kick towards his head. He caught my leg mid-air, though that wasn't unexpected, and twisted it. "Ow!" I shouted, resisting as much as I dared. He tightened his grip, then used his bionic arm's super strength to send me towards Sebastian.

The self-elected leader of our group sent a blast of energy at Chase, then one at Leo. "This is a failure. We have to bail." He told me. I ducked as Leo sent another blast of fire at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Lexi speed back into the room. She grabbed ahold of Mort's arm and the two of them disappeared into midair.

"What about Tank?" I demanded, noticing that the bigger villain was still unconscious. Sebastian shook his head.

"Leave him!" He retorted. Without giving me a chance to reply, he grabbed my wrist and suddenly, there was a rush of wind, and we found ourselves standing in the middle of our kitchen. I stepped away from Sebastian, taking a shaky breath. "You alright?"

"I hate geoleaping." It felt so weird and knotted my stomach up in a weird way. I took another breath. "Well, that didn't go well."

"Nope." He agreed. He looked at me. "So, who wants to tell your mom?"

**Bree's POV**

"Alright, thank you." I smiled kindly at the scientist before nodding to the paramedics so they could take him to the hospital. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, but many of them were in shock.

"What did he say?" Chase questioned as I walked back over to him, Adam, and Leo.

"The scientist Dr. Gao took was a man named Carson Bosetti, an Italian scientist that was on loan from them from some superhuman investigation team. He's an expert in mutations." I relayed the information. "Gao wanted some formula from him. Don't know what though."

"It had to be important if he kidnapped the guy." Leo said. Chase nodded.

"Yeah. And now that we know that Gao's working with Bridget…who knows what they're planning." He hummed. "It can't be good though."

"No, it can't." Adam agreed. He looked at us. "What are you guys going to do?"

Chase and I exchanged looks, not knowing how to answer him.

**Dani's POV**

"Hey! Hey Short Circuit!" I stopped on the way to my bedroom, waiting for Lexi as she tried to catch up to me. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied, confused why she'd be asking. She gave me a frown.

"I saw you go down earlier. It looked like you sprained your ankle, but you seem to be walking fine now." She mentioned.

"Oh, right. I twisted it earlier, but it wasn't that bad." I lied. "And it's happened enough over the years, what with me playing so much soccer, that I've learned to just work through it."

She nodded. "Oh. Was just wondering. That and why you weren't using your powers."

"It was a tiny room, Lex. You saw how using his powers worked for Mort – he was doing more harm to us than good." Shit, the last thing I needed was for her to be getting suspicious. She nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry if I'm being pushy, it's just been a crazy day." She gave me a smile. I hesitated; there was something off about that smile, something I didn't like. "So, how was your date with Sebastian?"

"It wasn't a date. Just dinner after a bad day." Even if Sebastian obviously considered it a date, it wasn't. Sure, it wouldn't technically be cheating – Kaz and I were through and no matter how this ended, I doubted that we'd ever be the same as we were before – but I wouldn't date Sebastian if my life depended on it. All I wanted was the information, and now that I had it, all I wanted to do next was send it to Liv.

"Good. Because he's mine." Her fake smile faded and Lexi turned on me, eyes narrowing with displeasure. "Because I know he likes to flirt, but I've been with him since the beginning. He's  _mine._  Got it?"

"Trust me, he's all yours." Was this all that this was about? A stupid crush she had on him? She smiled again.

"Good. Just wanted to make sure we were on the same page." She smirked and turned on her heel, heading down to her bedroom. I quickly slipped into my own room and shut the door behind me, taking a shaky breath as I leaned my head up against the door. If Lexi started acting all suspicious of me just because she had a thing for that player, she could potentially find out about my meetings with Alivia, and then I'd be screwed six ways to Sunday. I took a breath, trying to calm myself. Once she realized I wasn't interested in him, maybe she'd back off. She'd totally back off…right?

That speedster was going to be the death of me, of that I was sure.


	6. S.O.S.

**Dani's POV**

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." Sebastian insisted as he and Mort walked into the kitchen/living area. I didn't look up, too focused on the tablet screen before me. Gao had a plan, a big one, and my mother was still keeping that from me. Fine, whatever. I'd figure it out on my own, even if it meant scouring over his personal files for hours on end.

"Yes, because it's not at all a security risk." Mort retorted as I flipped to another file.

"Morning." Lexi greeted cheerfully. "I'm making coffee. Mort, I know you don't drink any, but would you like a cup, Seb?"

"Sure." Sebastian nodded before walking over to me. "What do you think, Sparky?" He questioned. I quickly shut off my tablet's screen, sitting up as if I'd just noticed him.

"Don't call me Sparky." I replied. "And what do I think about what?"

"Tank getting captured. I think Terror is overreacting. Thoughts?" He questioned, leaning on the back of the couch so he could get in closer. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Lexi watching us like a hawk, no a vulture, staring at her prey.

"Honestly? I think my mother and Mort are right. Tank may not be the most talkative person, but he's still a security threat. He could lead them back here, or join them. It's a serious threat, Sebastian." I insisted. Did I believe that? No, not at all. Tank only ever geoleaped to the base, so he couldn't exactly give them a location, nor would he actually switch sides. But if disagreeing with Sebastian helped assure Lexi that I wasn't a threat to her imaginary, then fine by me.

"Well, you suck." Sebastian seemed surprised that I didn't agree with him. "So, what are you doing?"

"Word is, Davenport Industries has something new in the works. I'm just making sure it's not going to be a threat to us."

"And is it?" He inquired. I shook my head and craned my neck to get a better view of him.

"Nope. Not even close." I replied. He nodded, then leaned in closer.

"So, remember that conversation we had yesterday?" He murmured. "The one about me keeping you in the loop in exchange for dinner."

"Right…" I shifted uncomfortably. I hadn't really been interested in the idea in the first place, and had honestly hoped he'd forgotten about it. "About that…"

"What are you guys talking about-shit!" Lexi suddenly cried as one of the mugs she was carrying 'accidently' dipped and spilt hot coffee onto my tablet. I jumped up in surprise, gritting my teeth as coffee bounced off the tablet and onto my pants.

"Lexi!" I shouted, staring.

"I am so sorry. I'm totally a klutz." She apologized, overly sincere. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." I bit back a retort and forced a fake smile on my face. Okay, this girl is psycho. I took a deep breath, then looked at Sebastian. "I'm going to go get changed. Excuse me."

The moment I stepped out of the living room, the lights above me sparked and shattered. What a freaking…I hated her. I mean, Bree had told me a bit about how she'd been before the bionic rebellion – highly competitive, deadly fierce, and ridiculously aggressive when she wanted something – but this was next level bitchiness. God, I hoped that the team would take her down first.

I started down the hall towards where the bedrooms were, brushing at my pants with a wince. On the way to my room, I passed by my mother's empty office. Wait, empty?

I stopped in the middle of the hallway, then turned on my heel and walked back a few steps. "Mom?" I called, looking inside. "Mom, you here?"

There was no response. Poking my head inside, I noticed that the office was empty. Right, she'd told us last night that she and Gao would be gone all morning so that they could work on one of their projects. Glancing over my shoulder, I made sure no one was looking before stepping into the office and closing the door behind me.

This could be my chance to find something out about Dr. Gao! Maybe if I could get into her computer, I could download the details on whatever he and my mother were planning and hand them off to Alivia during our meeting tomorrow night. After all, if my mother was working with someone like Gao, someone who she didn't treat like an inferior, they had something big up their sleeves. And whatever it was, Alivia and the team needed to know about it.

I sat down at my mother's desk and turned the screen on. Bypassing her password was easy – before all this, Calla had shown me a technique that could get past most password-locked systems – and before I knew it, I was digging through her files. "Gao, Gao…" I muttered under my breath, trying to find him in the files. Unfortunately, there was nothing about him except for a few surveillance clips. Crap, not what I was hoping for.

I leaned back in the chair, trying to think. I needed to know what they were up. Sighing in frustration, I looked around the room. It was a clean, orderly office, so lacking in decoration that it was practically like no one really used it. It reminded me of her office back home, before her evil plan and the Arcturion screwed everything…that was it. Gao had been hired in the first place to help her with her plans for the Arcturion, and for some reason she'd kept him around, even after she realized that we had the fake. There must have been a reason. Perhaps he'd found a way to accomplish her plans without it. Yes, that must be it. So, if I could figure what they were planning with the Arcturion, maybe I could figure out what they were trying to do now.

I ran a search through her system for the Arcturion, and this time came across several files. Smirking to myself, I opened all of them up, going through them one at a time. The first few files listed things I already knew, such as where the space rock originated from and it's powers…then, right in the middle of the powers section, I found a series of my mother's personal notes. I scanned them carefully, slowly but surely realizing what she was planning to do. "You have got to be kidding me."

This was big. Alivia needed to know about this, ASAP. I quickly shut down my mother's computer, then stood up. I needed to get out of here, then get a message across to Alivia, now. I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed my friends' number. Unfortunately, I got her voicemail. "Liv, hey. We need to talk, like, now. Meet me at the place in two hours, alright? I found something, and it's big."

I hung up and pocketed the phone. Now to erase the security footage and go meet her. I pushed open the door and stepped into the hall…only to find myself face to face with Lexi. I stared at her, startled, while she frowned, looking past me at my mother's office. "…What were you doing in Terror's office?"

"Uh…" Shit, shit, shit, and, did I mention, shit. "Uh, I was looking for her. What's it to you?"

"You were looking for Terror…even though she's going to be gone all morning." She stated carefully.

"I didn't know that." I lied. Lexi looked confused.

"She told us yesterday, gave us all orders…what were you doing in there?" She repeated her question. I hesitated and she smirked. "All I have to do is check the security footage. No point in lying."

I took a breath, then did the only thing I could think of.

I raised my hand and blasted a ball of electricity directly at her. The blast hit her in the stomach, throwing her back into the wall. Without giving her a chance to recover, I darted down the hallway, racing through the kitchen on my way. "Short Circuit, what's up?" Sebastian demanded, surprised to see me. I didn't answer, didn't even slow down. I needed to get out of here, now.

I made it as far as the staircase before I heard Lexi shout. I didn't quite make out what she said, but it sure as hell wasn't 'hey, it's okay, let her go'.

I shoved the door to the stairs open and starting climbing up them, running two at a time. There was no way I would make it out by going through the front. Even if I managed to make my way into the tunnel system, they'd catch me before I could get away, but if I make it up the fire escape and onto the roof, I could make it into the sky and then they'd be powerless to stop me.

Below me, I heard the door open up, and before I could really process what that meant, a blur sped at me, slamming into me and throwing the both of us into the wall to my left. Quickly trying to regain my balance, I reached out and grabbed the metal railing. Lexi reached for it too, intending to use it to pull herself up, but I thought quickly, sending a surge of electrical energy through the conductive material. Then, when she stopped reaching for it, I raised my hand, about to shoot her full of lightning, but suddenly, something heavy and painful, with a faint burning sensation, hit me from behind, sending me to my knees. Before I could recover, Lexi took advantage of the distraction. With inhuman speed, she slammed her elbow into the side of my head. I felt my head collide with something hard, possibly the railings, and that was the last thing I felt for a while.

**Alivia's POV**

I checked my watch again, for what felt like the hundredth time. Dani had sounded serious over the phone, and I'd done my best to get to the city as fast as I could. I even arrived ten minutes early, a pretty good accomplishment considering how far New York was from Centium City. But now, three hours after Dani had wanted to meet, I was still the only one in the cruddy apartment I'd rented for our little meetings.

Something was wrong, really wrong. Dani wasn't often late, and never this late. And the fact that she wasn't answering my phone calls – I didn't dare text her in case someone saw the message – I was starting to get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

**Dani's POV**

As I slowly came back to my sense, I could feel a dull, aching throb in the side of my head. Confused, I slowly reached up to touch it, only to feel crispy, dried blood underneath my fingertips. What…?

I sucked in a breath and sat up, everything coming back to me at once.

"How are you feeling?" My head snapped to the left, towards my mother's voice. I was sitting on a thin mattress in the middle of one of our interrogation cells, my mother standing on the other side of the power-nullifying bars. Dr. Gao was a few feet behind her, leaning against an unmarked wall holding a small, handheld device. I scrambled to my feet, allowing a little of my panic to seep through the cracks.

"Mom. I…Lexi and Sebastian, they just…" I tripped over my own words, freaked out. This was the last thing I needed, the worst-case possibility of all of this. Mom raised a hand, stopping me.

"I saw the security footage, Danica." She told me, her tone cold. I gulped nervously, then not so subtly looked over my shoulder. A part of me had been hoping for something I could use to escape, but, just as the other part of me had predicted, my cell was windowless and without any means of getting out. Hell, the only thing in there was my mattress. "Would you like to tell me what you accessed on my computer?"

"No, not really." I answered honestly. She raised an eyebrow, though not surprised.

"It'll be easy enough to get the details later. But I assume you were looking for information." She gave me a bittersweet smile, a knowing smirk. "You never did stop fighting for the Elite Force, did you?"

Well, my cover was already busted. No point in pretending now, was there? "Did you really think I would?" I challenged, crossing my arms. "Really, mother, did you really think I'd ever fall for your tricks?"

"Tricks?" My mother echoed, seeming vaguely offended. "I didn't use any tricks on you, Danica. I told you nothing but the truth." I scoffed. "I promised you that we could make the world a safer place, did I not?"

"Safer?" I repeated, before letting out a short, dark laugh. "You call this safer? Please. I know what your plan is, Mom." She stopped, a little surprised. "You're going to kill every single hero out there, and then take over the planet for yourself. I don't call that safe, Mother, I call that a dictatorship."

"It can't be both?" She questioned.

"Historically, not at all. Not for everyone." I snapped. She gave me a saddened look.

"We could have worked together. We could have ruled, together, my dear." She told me, disappointed. I shook my head.

"That was never going to happen. You want to know why?" I questioned, taking a step towards the bars so that we were only a few inches apart. "Because I am never going to be the daughter that you want. And I am so damn proud of that."

I turned around and stepped away from the bars, crossing my arms behind my head. "The Elite Force will defeat you." I tossed over my shoulder. "When the dust clears and the fight is over, they'll be the winners and you'll have lost everything. So, I suggest you quit now while you're ahead."

I heard my mother sigh. "I was hoping we could do this together Danica, as mother and daughter, but you've left me no choice."

Suddenly, the familiar buzz that came along with the powerful bars disappeared and I heard the bottom of the cell door scrape along the door. I spun around to see Gao enter the cell, holding up the device. "What is that?" I demanded, back up until my back hit the wall. He continued to approach me.

"Just one of Gao's inventions. Don't worry, it won't hurt." Mom assured me. "It'll just make you a little more obedient."

Well, that didn't sound good. I lunged forward, hoping to take the device out of his hand and use it for myself. He grabbed my arm as I reached for it, but I'd been expecting that, and slammed him into the bars, causing him to drop the device. Before he could scoop it back up, I stepped on it hard, digging the back of my heel into it as I crushed it to small, useless pieces. Enraged, he shoved me back and suddenly, something invisible grabbed me by the throat and lifted me up against the wall, Darth Vader style. I spluttered and gasped, reaching for my throat in a vain attempt to dislodge the telekinetic grasp.

Mom let it go on for a long couple of moments, then sighed loudly. "Enough, Doctor." She said sternly. Reluctantly, Gao released me and I dropped back to the ground, landing roughly on the ground. I leaned up against the back wall, one hand massaging my neck as my mother turned to Gao. "How long will it take to rebuild the device?"

"A few days." He replied, sending me a hateful glare. "I'll have to wait for parts to come in."

"Inform me when it's done." She ordered. He nodded and walked way in a huff as my mother turned back to me. She looked me over once.

"Love your co-workers." I commented sarcastically, my voice rough. She nodded, having expected nothing less than a sarcasm filled remark.

"Danica, I know you don't appreciate what I've done for you, but you will be by my side when I take over the super-power empire, whether by your own will or by mine." She declared before turning around and walking away. I gulped nervously, looking around the cell.

I was so screwed. I mean, now that she knew that I was a spy, there was no way she'd give me the chance to escape. But I had to try. If not because of Gao's history with the Triton App, then because of the still-drying stain in the cement, obviously left there by the last prisoner Gao had placed in this cell. I didn't know what had happened to that scientist, but if I didn't get out of here soon, I had a feeling I would end up just like him.

**Kaz's POV**

"No, no, no. This is obviously oil paint." Jaden insisted. He and Calla were helping Bree study for her art history final, the last exam she needed to take to get her degree, but apparently it wasn't going so well. "C'mon, Bree, you know this stuff."

"I know, I know. Sorry, I'm just tired." She muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Ugh, I've got a headache."

"I'll grab you some Asprin." Calla offered, getting up. She walked past me on her way up the stairs to grab some medicine. Skylar and Chase were sitting at one of the tables off to the side of the room, the latter teaching our favorite alien the rules of chess, while Oliver worked on his tablet.

We weren't talking again, though that shouldn't be much of a surprise. I'd told him about Dani, but he didn't believe me, and why would he? I had no proof, and this was hardly the first theory I'd come up with since she left. Still, I'd hoped that he'd even consider it before dismissing it and me for trying to give him what he called 'false hope'.

I looked up from my video game when there was a sudden knock on the door. Glancing at the others, I realized that no one had moved to get it, so I sighed dramatically – why do I have to do everything – and got up to answer it. The knocking came again, this time more insistent. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

I opened the door up to reveal Alivia McLean, the leader of the New League of Heroes. I crossed my arms, displeased to see her. "Geminus. You need something?"

"Can I come in?" She requested. "It's important."

"We're busy." I told her.

"No, we're not." Calla commented, giving me a confused look as she passed me. She smiled at Alivia. "Hey, Alivia."

The redhead went to step into the Penthouse, but I blocked her. "Look, Alivia, I-"

"Kaz, remember how you said you'd hold me responsible if something went wrong?" She questioned, her tone solemn. I stared at her, a feeling of dread rising up within me. "Well this is me taking responsibility."

This time, I stepped back to let her pass. She walked into the penthouse, and looked around. "Guys, we need to talk."

**Xxx**

Once everyone was settled, Alivia started talking. "So, a couple of years ago, right after Bridget Short came out as Mr. Terror, the League of Heroes approached me with an idea." The redhead explained, pacing the floor while we all listened. "They decided that the best way to defeat Mr. Terror with the least amount of casualties was to get someone on the inside to betray her."

"Oh God." Oliver's face paled, a look of realization crossing it. He glanced at me, horrified.

"So you tried to turn one of the villains working for her?" Bree questioned. Alivia shook her head.

"No, they didn't think they'd be able to find anyone she'd trust that we could turn. So, they asked me to help them put someone on the inside." She continued. She stopped pacing and looked at us all, guilty. "Someone who Terror would trust inexplicitly, but someone who the League could be sure would do everything in their power to stop Terror. There were only two people that fit the bill, and only one of them was capable of doing the job."

"Dani." Chase realized, the answer dawning on him. The others all exchanged looks of disbelief. "You're telling us that she…"

"Is an undercover agent, secretly working for the New League of Heroes, yes." Alivia confirmed. She paused to give us all a moment to process the news. Skylar looked stunned, as did Jaden, though Bree looked confused. Calla and Chase both had this hyper-focused look on their faces, like they were trying to connect all the pieces of the puzzle, while Oliver just looked shell-shocked. "Look, I know it's a lot to take in, and clearly we made some mistakes-"

"She betrayed us." Skylar insisted. "You both did. You lied to us for months, maybe even years, and you're just going to call that a little mistake?"

"And what about the Arcturion? You're telling me that Dani purposely tried to hand her mother the most powerful weapon in the world just to keep her cover?" Jaden added. Calla shook her head, interrupting before Alivia could answer.

"Except…Wasn't it Dani who took the Arcturion to Facility X in the first place?" She questioned, nodding to herself. "She must have switched them out, right?"

"I had a friend of mine from Philadelphia make us a fake. She thought it was a center piece for a wedding, but it was the perfect duplication." Alivia added.

"Where's the real one?" Chase inquired.

"The vault under Mighty Med 2.0." Alivia admitted, shrugging.

"You put it under MM2?" Oliver questioned. He looked at her, another thought occurring to him. "Does Horace know?"

"He knows everything." She replied. When she saw the looks on all of our faces, she quickly added, "I only told him after she left your team. And the only reason I told him at all was in case something happened to me. She needed someone who could back her up if she ever came back here, or at the very least, patch her up if something bad happened."

"I suppose that makes sense." I grumbled under my breath. I didn't like that we were some of the last people to know, but at least Alivia was somewhat looking out for Dani's wellbeing.

"So you guys lied to us. Both of you lied to us." Oliver accused. Alivia gave him an apologetic smile.

"We had to. Look, you guys have every right to be pissed at us, but this was only going to work if it looked like Dani completely betrayed you, and we couldn't be sure that one of you wouldn't accidently reveal the truth." She told us.

"Thanks for having so much faith in us." Bree grumbled.

"Why are you telling us now?" Chase questioned, leaning back in his chair. Alivia looked at him. "Well, if it was SO important that we not know, then there's got to be reason you're telling us now."

Alivia nodded stiffly. She glanced at me, shame in her eyes, before answering. "Three days ago, Dani called me and said she had some information for me. It had to have been big, considering we were supposed to meet up the next day anyway. But she never showed." I sat up, looking at her. Alivia shook her head, a faraway look in her eyes. "She hasn't shown up at our spot for days, nor is she answering any of my calls."

"You think something happened to her." It wasn't a question. Alivia nodded.

"Look, I know you guys are pissed, and you're right to be, but she could be in trouble. Big trouble." She insisted. Oliver raised his hand, cutting her off. After a moment, he spoke, his tone worried.

"I can't reach her telepathically." He told us. Skylar looked at him, her brow furrowed.

"How is that any different than the past few months?" She questioned.

"That was when she wasn't responding. But I could still…feel her." He explained. "I could still sense her up here." He gestured at him temple. "But now…nothing."

"We have to go get her." I declared, getting to my feet. The others all hesitated. "You've got to be kidding me."

"It's not that simple." Calla told me gently. She looked at Alivia. "What if she's not in trouble, just unable to communicate outside wherever she is? If we go in after her, we could blow her cover and then we could all be in trouble. It might be safer for everyone, Dani included, if we let her handle it."

"No, no." I retorted, shaking my head. "If we don't go after her, she could die. We need to save her. Oliver," I turned to my best friend, "Dude, she's your sister."

"Yeah, and my sister's a badass." He added, looking at me. "She can handle mostly everything that goes her way. Calla might have a point."

"But if she has been caught, then she's surrounded by god knows how many dangerous criminals." Bree pointed out. I gestured at her, glad to have someone on my side.

"Bridget wouldn't let her own daughter come to harm." Skylar argued.

"But it's not just Bridget, is it? Lexi and Sebastian are both dangerous." Jaden reminded everyone. "And they're not exactly known for their respect for authority."

"Yes, but-" Oliver began, but Chase stood up, cutting her off.

"We vote then." He declared. "That's the best way to decide this, right?"

No one argued with him. "Okay then." Chase nodded. "Now, all in favor of risking Dani's cover, which may or may not be blown, to rescue her?"

**Dani's POV**

I paced my cell nervously, glancing at the door every couple of seconds. It had been a few days since I'd broken Gao's device, and I knew it wouldn't be long before he finished. If he finished that, I doubted very much he'd give me the opportunity to break it again.

I glanced towards the door, wondering if I could try and escape again. I'd tried a number of times – eleven failed attempts in two and a half days, that had to be a record or something – but each and every time they'd been ready. There were cameras in my cell, I knew that, and someone must have been monitoring them, because every time I'd made it out of my cell, Lexi, Sebastian, Gao, or Mort had been there to take me back to my cell. They each had their own methods: Lexi and Gao were both merciless, choosing to knock me out to make it easier for them to deal with, while Sebastian and Mort liked to drag me still conscious to my cell so that they could see the look of hate on my face when I got locked up again.

God, I was screwed. I was so freaking screwed. Gao was going to come in here any minute now and turn me into one of his mindless goons and then I'd really end up fighting my team…I stopped short, suddenly realizing something. If Gao took control of me, I'd fight them and I'd do anything he or my mother asked, no questions about it. There were a million things they could make me do, and the others, they'd never forgive me for any of it. Ollie would hate me forever…Kaz would hate me.

"Don't freak, don't freak." I ran my hands threw my hair, forcing myself to take a deep breath. Panicking would do me no good right now. Panicking would make me powerless, and I couldn't let them win that easily. If they were going to take me down, I was going to go down fighting. Yeah, blaze of glory style. What was that line from that book series I used to love? Oh right: free or death. Well, yeah, I was down for that.

Suddenly, the entire base shook violently, the sound of something exploding causing my mother's base of operations to react like it would to an earthquake. Dust fell from the ceiling and the lights went out as I fell to my knees, startled. Once the shaking stopped, I jumped to my feet, lunging towards the cell's bars, while making sure not to touch them. "Hey! What's going on?" I shouted, hoping that someone would give me an answer. I didn't have a guard to my cell, but someone had always been close enough to stop me from escaping, so surely someone was close enough to keep me updating. "Hey! Hey, is anyone there?"

There was a long moment of silence, then something started to move in the darkness. Wary that it might be Gao, I stepped back until an all-too-familiar face came into the light. I stared, stunned, as he chuckled. "Now, before you say anything, I think I'm the perfect size for a storm trooper, right?"

I stared, mouth open in shock. "Dee, you alright?" Kaz added, concerned as he pulled out a set of tools.

I stared at him for a moment longer. "Kaz?" I breathed, bewildered. He smirked, the corner of his mouth tugging upwards at the sound of my voice.

"Liv came to us when you didn't check in. Now, Chase showed me how to do this," He stuck a pair of metal sticks into the lock of the door. "We have to hurry though – that explosion that Skylar and Calla set up won't distract them for long, and we don't have enough manpower to take them all on here, alright?"

"Kaz?" I whispered again, still processing the fact that he was here, he was here and he was here for me, and he came for me, and…and…

"Don't worry. Give me a second." He promised. There was a click and his entire face lit up. "Yes!"

He grabbed the cell door and pulled it open, and the moment that obstacle was gone, I threw myself at him, arms around his neck as I buried my face in his shoulder. I heard him chuckle in surprise, one arm wrapping around my back. I adjusted my face so that my mouth was near his ear and whispered the one thing I'd wanted to say to him since before I even joined my mother. "Please don't hate me."

Kaz hesitated, caught off guard by my request, before responding. "Never." He promised me. "Never."

And suddenly, it was like this huge weight had lifted off my shoulders. I stepped back, staring at him. He gave me a reassuring smile. "Look, I'm not saying I'm not mad, but I don't hate you. I will never hate you, Dee. Okay?" I nodded numbly and he smiled again, this time offering me his hand. "Now, ready to get out of here?"

"You have no idea." I told him, taking his hand.


	7. Homecoming

**Dani's POV**

I tapped my foot against the ground impatiently, staring at the clock as I counted down the seconds. It was early in the morning, with no one else actually awake. Reasonably, I should be asleep too – even I slept in on Saturdays – but I hadn't been able to sleep last night, not after everything went down.

**Flashback Begins**

_I bit my lip nervously, sitting alone in the armchair, while the others all looked at me. I felt like a kid who got caught with her hand in the cookie jar, except it was like a thousand times worse._

_After a few moments, I broke the awkward silence. "So, are you guys going to yell at me, or like…" I trailed off, especially when Kaz gave me a look._

" _No one's going to yell." He promised._

" _Correction. Kaz is not going to yell." Bree interrupted. "The rest of us on the other hand…what the hell, Dani?"_

" _Yeah, that's fair." I agreed._

" _I think what Bree's trying to say is, we don't understand what you were thinking." Calla added, sending Bree a look. "You could have gotten killed."_

" _You should have told us what was going on." Chase was by far the calmest of the group._

" _Screw that, you shouldn't have done it in the first place." Ollie snapped angrily. I winced at his tone of voice._

" _Look, you want an apology? I am sorry, sincerely sorry, that I lied and deceived all of you. And I am sorry that I hurt you. I know that doesn't fix things, not even close, but right now, in this moment, that's all I've got to offer." I sighed before looking at my brother. "But I won't apologize for everything else that I did. I did that because I felt it was right thing to do and I stand by that, whether you agree or not."_

_The others all exchanged looks. It was impossible to tell what they were all thinking._

" _Look, I don't think we should be focusing on what Dani did." Kaz began._

" _Of course you'd say that." Skylar interrupted._

" _Kaz has a point." Alivia intervened. She gave me a reassuring smile before addressing the others. "What's done is done. Right now we should be focusing on what's important: Gao and Terror's plan."_

_Skylar sighed audibly, then turned back to me. "What are they planning? Why do they want the Arcturion?"_

" _Well, you know how the Arcturion is the most powerful thing in the galaxy? It can do pretty much anything." I began. Calla nodded._

" _Even bestow powers." She added. I nodded._

" _And, hypothetically, destroy them too." I continued. "They want to destroy everyone's powers but their own."_

" _That would leave us with one hell of a disadvantage." Jaden murmured. Oliver frowned, confused._

" _But powers can't be destroyed." He declared, bewildered. Calla, Chase, Jaden, and Bree all looked at him, equally confused but for different reasons._

" _Um, what?" Bree laughed in befuddlement. She gestured at Skylar. "Hello, living proof that they can be destroyed."_

" _No." Skylar shook her head. "My powers were taken, not destroyed; powers can be stolen or given away, but not destroyed."_

" _Like the law of the conservation of energy." Chase realized. Now it was our turn to stare. He sighed audibly, like he often did when we didn't understand what he considered to be 'simple'. "Energy can not be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed."_

" _So the Arcturion is the only thing that can destroy powers." Alivia hummed thoughtfully._

" _But Gao thinks he can re-create that ability. The scientist he grabbed a few days ago was a Dr. Carson Bosetti. He specializes in human enhancement." Dani relayed. Alivia frowned._

" _Bosetti…I-That name sounds familiar to me." She said, thinking deeply. "What happened to him?"_

" _I don't know. I tried to find out, but they wouldn't tell me. Nothing good though." I swallowed thickly, wishing I'd been able to save that scientist. "But from what I understand, he was trying to find a technological way to destroy powers. I guess they gave up on trying to find where we hid the Arcturion."_

" _Well, the good news is, we blew up what we think was their lab, so that should slow them down." Calla offered._

" _She's got a point." Kaz agreed, still trying to be positive. God, I loved that about him._

" _Alright." Chase placed his hands on the back of the couch. "It's been a long day, and there's not really anything we can do about it tonight. So everyone get some rest, alright?"_

**Flashback Ends**

I was drawn out of my thoughts when the oven beeped. Smiling, I grabbed the oven mitts and bent down to pull out the tray. "You've got to be kidding me…are you really doing this?" Kaz questioned, more than slightly exasperated. I glanced over my shoulder to see him leaning over the kitchen counter. "Dee, you don't have to make everyone breakfast."

"Yes, I do." I stood up, placing the tray on the top of the stove. I could hear sounds coming from upstairs as the rest of the team started to get up. Kaz looked at me and shook his head. "Look, I have to start earning people's forgiveness, and if the first step to doing that is to bribe everyone with food, then so be it."

"Dani, seriously, you apologized already. You don't have-is that bacon?" Kaz cut himself off, leaving further across the counter to get a better a look. "You made bacon?"

"Try some." I plucked a piece off the tray, thankful that it wasn't TOO hot, and handed it to him. He inspected it for a moment, confused.

"You made bacon? Miss save-the-animals, meat-is-for-murderers made bacon?" He questioned, staring at me. He frowned deeply. "What did they do to you?"

"Try some." I insisted. He looked hesitantly at me, then slowly took a bite of the bacon. His face cleared.

"Ah, yeah, that makes sense." He commented, nodding to himself as Calla and Chase came down the stairs.

"Do I smell coffee?" The girl genius questioned, walking into the kitchen, confused. I nodded eagerly, grabbing two steaming mugs and handing them to the couple.

"And pancakes, eggs, and bacon." I added, smiling brightly before carrying plates out to the counter. I saw Calla and Chase exchanged looks.

"…Thank you?" Calla replied before leaning forward so that she could look at Chase with my view of her face blocked. She must have mouthed something to him, because he shrugged in response.

"So, how're you feeling?" Chase questioned, gesturing at my face, or more specifically, the black eye I was failing at hiding behind my bangs. Once again, I regretted the way I cut my hair – Mom had liked it, so it served its purpose, but I missed the way it could hide my face when I wanted it to. I shrugged in response to Chase. "That looks like it hurts."

"Oh, it's nothing." I assured him.

"Alright. Thanks for breakfast." Calla picked up a piece of bacon off her plate. She popped in her mouth, only to spit it into a tissue a minute later. "Okay that is not bacon."

"Yes, it is." I insisted. She looked at me like I was crazy. "Well, it's tofurkey bacon."

"Ew." Calla made a face.

"I'll take it." Kaz offered. Calla shrugged and handed him her plate so he could scrape the bacon onto his own. He handed it back just as Chase looked at me.

"Alright, so I've got a couple of ideas about how we can stop Gao from removing anyone's powers." He told us. "I'm thinking I can create something that will lock our powers down, kinda like how you can lock down a TV recording on a DVR so it won't accidently be deleted."

"You going to need some help with that?" Calla inquired. He shook his head.

"Nah, I've got it. Besides, don't you and Bree have plans?" He questioned.

"Yeah, but, this is more important, if it keeps Gao from kicking our asses down the line." She insisted.

"What were your plans?" I asked. Calla looked at me sharply. I raised my hands. "Just curious."

"Uh, sorry. Bree hasn't really felt like herself lately – I figure she's just stressed out about her final exam and getting her diploma – so I booked us a spa day."

"Seriously, Cals, go. It's fine. Have fun." Chase insisted.

"Fine. But call me if you need anything." Calla kissed him on the cheek. "I'm going to go get dressed. See you guys later."

"See you." "Bye." Kaz and I replied as she jogged towards the stairs.

"Morning." Calla greeted as she passed Skylar and Ollie on the stairs.

"Hey." Skylar greeted. I smiled at her, then at my brother.

"I made breakfast." I offered cheerfully.

Ollie didn't answer, instead grabbing himself a mug, pouring himself a coffee, and grabbing an apple before going out onto the veranda.

"Not hungry." Skylar told me, unapologetically, grabbing herself a coffee before following him. I watched them go, a little hurt, though understanding why they weren't too happy with me.

"Uh…good luck with them. I'll be in mission command." Chase offered. "Feel free to join me if things get too cold up here for your liking."

"Thanks." I nodded at him appreciatively as he headed for the elevator. Kaz sighed audibly and stood up.

"I'm going to go talk to him." He declared.

"No, you're not." I stopped him. He gave me a look. "He's mad at me for something I did. I don't want you getting involved."

"You did what you thought was right. How can he be mad at you for that?" He questioned, annoyed.

"You can't tell someone how to feel, Kaz. And he's got every right to be mad at me. I need to earn his trust back." I told him. "But Ollie s my brother and he's mad at something I did, so what happens between us is between us, okay? I need to work things out with him on my own. Okay?"

Kaz sighed reluctantly. "Fine."

"Thank you." I kissed him on the cheek, before going to turn off the stove. Alright, time to try and get things back to normal.

**Kaz's POV**

I whistled to myself as I walked down the street, carrying a bag full of groceries. Dani was back, for the first time in months, and even though I knew a few of the others were still mad at her, I still figured it was cause for celebration. Hence the trip to the store for a special desert for tonight.

"Here boy! Here! Where are you?" I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, one eyebrow raised as I watched Jaden wander around the street, calling aimlessly as he shook a bag of dog treats. Jaden turned around to try in my direction, to try finding whatever or whoever it was he was looking for. He stopped short when he saw me, to which I responded with a confused shrug. "Kaz, thank God. I need your help."

"With finding your lost marbles?" I questioned smirking.

"Try my lost dog." He replied, frowning back at me. "Glitch got out while I was showering, and if I don't find him before Bree comes back from her spa day, she's going to kill me."

"Don't you have a tracker in his skin or collar?" I questioned. Jaden gave me a look.

"If there was a tracker, do you really think I'd be out here shouting in hopes that he'd come?" He questioned rhetorically. I raised my hands in the universal surrender motion and he sighed. "Sorry, just we never had a need for it before. He's never run away before."

"You need some help?" I offered. He nodded.

"Please." He added.

**Dani's POV**

"Hey!" I smiled brightly, walking onto the veranda where Ollie was filling out some paperwork. A large stack of files sat next to him on the table. "Where's Skylar?"

"Out. Helping Jaden and Kaz." He replied shortly. I bit my lip before forcing the smile back on my face.

"Well, I got fro-yo. It's hazelnut – your favorite." I offered him the frozen desert. "And I got it in a cup so you can work while you have it."

"I'm cutting down on dairy." He brushed me off without looking up from his work. A little disappointed, I tried to keep up with the positive act.

"That looks like a lot of work there. You want some help? It's been ages since I've done anything doctor-like."

"I've got it." He assured me. I glanced down at my feet, kicking a small pebble away from me.

"Well, uh…after, do you wanna go see a movie? We can grab Kaz, check out that new superhero flick. Just like old times."

"Dani." He raised his head, his tone annoyed. "Go away."

I sighed. "No." I stood my ground. "Not until you talk to me."

"I don't want to talk." He reached for another file. I lunged forward, snatching it out of his hands, forcing him to finally pay attention.

"Well, too bad. I'm sorry, Oliver. I am." I insisted. "How do I fix this?"

"I don't know." He replied, standing up to try and take the file from me. I held it just out of his reach, glad that I was the taller sibling.

"Please, Ollie, I miss my twin." I insisted. He looked at me, really looked at me for the first time since I'd been back.

"You miss your twin?" He repeated incredulously. I nodded. "Well, I guess that didn't occur to you when you ditched us for Alivia's mission, did it?"

"Ollie-" I began, but he cut me off.

"No, you want to talk, fine. You left, Dani, you ditched us to do a favor for Alivia. Which would be fine, but Alivia's not the only person in your life. Did you ever stop and think what this would do to the team? To Kaz? To me?" He demanded. "Don't bother answering, I know you didn't. You probably worried what we'd think, sure, but how this would actually affect us? No way in hell did you put any serious thought into that. Because you don't think. Never!"

"That's not fair." I tried.

"No, you want to know what's not fair? It's not fair that I had to spend nearly an entire year thinking that my sister was evil, that the only family I had left abandoned me for her own selfish reasons. It's not fair that I had to listen to my best friend moon over you, trying to figure out what he could have changed to make you stay or what was wrong when the truth was you left of your free will. It's not fair that I lost the two most important people in my life because you wanted to do this on your own. That's not fair, Dani." He growled. "So you don't get to pull the 'I miss my twin' card when the only reason this happened is because you made a crappy decision."

"I'm sorry." I whispered, the only thing I could think to say.

"Sorry doesn't cut it." He toned down a bit, but I could tell he was still fuming on the inside. "And neither does food or movies. You screwed up, Dani. And yeah, Alivia is partly responsible, but you are a grown woman who is capable of saying no. That's all you had to do. Or hell, you could have brought us into your plan. At least then, I wouldn't be stuck between wondering if you were off killing someone or getting yourself killed on our mother's behalf."

"I am  _not_  a killer!" I snapped. I took a breath, trying not to get emotional. "And telling you would have only jeopardized the plan."

"Because I'm such a bad liar?" Ollie guessed. I nodded, and he gave me an exasperated look. "You really think I couldn't have figured something out to keep anyone from finding out? My sister's life in danger and I can't figure out how to keep a secret? God, you don't even know me anymore."

"What do you want me to say?" I demanded, at the end of my rope.

"There's nothing to say, Dani. You can't fix this." He told me, seriously, before grabbing his files and walking away.

**Bree's POV**

"Mmm, I needed this." I hummed happily as Calla and I sat down for lunch. "Why don't we do spa days more often?"

"Because we never have time and it's not really my kind of thing?" Calla shrugged. "But every once in a while, you're right, they can be fun."

"You need to loosen up more." I told her bluntly.

"Right back at you. Jaden mentioned you weren't sleeping well." She commented. I sighed. "Don't get mad at him. He knows we're best friends and wanted to know if there was something bugging you. I told him I didn't think so."

"Thank you." I replied. She looked at me, concerned.

"So…did I lie to him? Is there something up?" She asked. I shrugged.

"Just haven't been feeling right lately. I think it's just a stomach bug." I brushed it off. "So, how are things?"

"You mean with me, or at the Penthouse?" She guessed. I chuckled softly.

"First night that Dani's been back, must have been awkward. Kinda glad I moved out." I commented. Calla rolled her eyes.

"Well, she didn't go to bed. Pretty sure she slept on the couch rather than go back to her old room. I think she was trying to avoid Skylar; she and Oliver are pretty pissed off at her." Calla shrugged, picking up her menu. I did the same, scanning the items on the lunch menu. "She was making breakfast for everyone when I got up."

"Really? God she must feel guilty." I smiled sympathetically, putting down the menu. "Oliver and Skylar need to lay off. I mean, I'm not exactly thrilled with Dani, but I get why she did it."

"You got do what's right, and nowadays it's not exactly straightforward." Calla agreed. She wrinkled her forehead as she thought. "I don't just get why she did it, I respect it – it takes a lot of commitment to do something so crazy – but I get why they're mad."

"So, what now?" I questioned. "Do we forgive her? Is she our friend again? Like what's next?"

Calla considered it for a long time. "Forgive her? Yeah, I do. But I don't trust her."

"I-" I stopped as a waitress walked over.

"Hi, I'm Meg. Are you guys ready to order?" She asked, notepad ready.

"Yeah, I'll have a club sandwich, with a Pepsi. Oh, and a side of fries." Calla requested. "Thanks."

"No problem. And for you?" The waitress asked, turning to me.

"A BLT please, with extra mayonnaise. And just water." I replied. She smiled, took down the order, and walked away in the direction of the kitchen. Calla frowned at me.

"I thought you hated mayo?" She questioned. I shrugged.

"Jaden's been trying some new stuff at home and I guess it must be affect my palate." I replied just as my phone buzzed to let me know I'd gotten a text.

"Speak of the devil?" Calla guessed as I checked it. I frowned, confused as I read it.

"Uh, AJ, actually. He found Glitch." I replied. Calla raised an eyebrow.

"Since when did Glitch need finding?" Calla questioned, confused.

**Dani's POV**

"He hates me!" I declared, walking into mission command. Chase looked up from working on a small, flat metallic rectangle. "He hates me."

"He does not hate you." Chase assured me calmly. I looked at him.

"Do you even know who I'm talking about?" I questioned accusingly. He paused for a moment.

"No." He admitted. I nodded, having expected that. "But if I had to take a guess, you're talking about Oliver, right?"

"He hates me." I repeated, dropping into one of the chairs and burying my head in my arms. "And he's completely right."

"Dani." Chase said my name in a stern tone, causing me to look up. "Two important things: one, Oliver does not hate you, he is just mad. Two, whatever he said, he didn't mean it."

"Let's see…I ditched the team without thinking of what would happen, I abandoned Kaz and him, I lied and betrayed all of you, and I can't blame any of this on Liv because I was the one who agreed."

"Alright, maybe all that is true, but you can't just focus on the negative." Chase put down his work and gave me a kind smile. "Did you believe that what you did gave us a better chance at stopping Bridget? Do you think that what you did made a difference in the fight against the supervillains? Do you believe that it was the right thing to do"

"Yes, but-" He shook his head, not letting me finish.

"Yes." He agreed. "Dani, what you did was good. Maybe not all of it, but in the end, you did what you set out to do. And if that means doing a couple of difficult things along the way, well then you're just going to have to live with it."

"But Ollie…" I trailed off, not sure what to say there.

"Oliver needs time. Just let him forgive you in his own time, alright?" Chase gave me a smile. "Right now, just focus on the good things, like the advantage your information gave us or the fact that Kaz couldn't be happier that you're back, and keep going from there."

I considered his advice for a while, then sniffed and gave him a lopsided smirk. "You know, I'm starting to get why Calla married you."

He chuckled at that. "I am pretty amazing." He agreed, earning a genuine laugh from me. He jerked his head at his device. "Now come on. I could use a hand working on my project."


	8. Train Job

**Bree's POV**

"This sucks." Jaden commented, and not for the first time that day. I sighed, ignoring him as I stared out the window, watching the cityscape speed out of view. "Remind me again why we had to take the train to Mission Creek?"

"Because Mr. Davenport took the private jet to go to Switzerland with Tasha and Naomi for that symposium." Chase replied calmly, briefly removing his hand from his wife's hair to turn the page of his book, before returning it to where Calla's head laid in his lap.

"And Kaz managed to break  _both_  of the geo-leap devices when he was setting up his latest Halloween prank." Calla added, glancing up from her iPad to look at us.

"It's not that bad, Jay." I told my boyfriend, leaning my head against his shoulder. "We have our own compartment, and it's only a few more hours."

"Five hours, thirteen minutes, to be precise." Chase added unhelpfully. Jaden groaned.

"Oh, suck it up." Calla rolled her eyes, sitting up to look at her brother. "No one forced you to come to the reunion."

"As if I'd miss it. The old team is going to be there!" He grinned. "I can't believe we're going back to MCH."

"Well, if you're so excited, stop complaining about the train ride." Calla grumbled. Chase looked at her.

"You alright?" He questioned, amused. She rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe Kaz broke my geo-leap devices!" She complained. He chuckled.

"C'mon. How about we grab some lunch in the dining cart?" He questioned. She considered.

"Yeah, okay." She agreed, getting up. Chase shook his head, laughing. "What?"

"Nothing." He assured her, opening the compartment's door for her. He glanced at us. "You guys coming?"

"No thanks. Not hungry." I said quickly, closing my eyes and leaning my head against Jaden's shoulder. I felt Jaden's shoulder shake as he shook his head, then heard the compartment door close. A moment later, I felt Jaden place his hand on my forehead. "I'm fine, Jay. I'm not sick."

"So that's why you woke me up this morning by puking really loudly in the bathroom?" He questioned.

"I promise I will vomit quieter from now on." I joked, opening my eyes. He gave me a look. "Seriously, Jay, I'm fine."

"Are you sure it's just a stomach bug?" He questioned. I opened my mouth, not sure what to answer. I genuinely didn't think it was a stomach bug anymore, or at least not the kind he was thinking of, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell him yet, at least not until Dr. Diaz got back to me with the results. I wanted to be sure, first.

Before I could answer, the train suddenly slowed down, quickly coming to a stop. "I didn't think there was another stop for another hour."

"There isn't." I frowned, confused. I shrugged. "We're probably waiting for another train to cross the tracks. It happens."

Suddenly, my phone started to ring. I picked it up quickly, having expected it for a couple of days now. "I'll be right back." I told him, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

**Oliver's POV**

"Hey, Sky, they were out of that candy you like," I called, using my shoulder to open the front door as I balanced the two grocery bags in my arms, "but I think I found something-holy!"

I jumped back as a skeleton dropped out in front of me from the ceiling, glowering when I heard Kaz ad Dani's laughter. "Seriously guys?"

"C'mon, dude, it's tradition." Kaz reminded me. I rolled my eyes, and headed for the kitchen. Dani followed me, a hopeful look on her face.

"Hey, where's Skylar?" I asked, looking at Kaz.

"Mission Command." He replied. Dani grinned at me.

"Hey, we're going to set up a bunch of pranks for when Calla and Chase get back. You wanna help?" She asked.

"Uh, no thanks." I replied. She looked genuinely disappointed. For a moment, I felt a little guilty. Then, she let out a breath and the smile reappeared on her face, albeit a little forced.

"Your loss. We need more paint for the balloons." She clapped her hands together and turned on her heel. She looked at Kaz. "There's some in Mission Command. I'll be right back."

She headed down to Mission Command while Kaz reset the skeleton prank. "Hey, play nice."

"Dude, don't." I looked at him. He raised his hands in defense.

"I'm not telling you to forgive her or stuff – sibling stuff is sibling stuff. I know better than to get involved." He assured me. "But dude, you're my best friend and she's my girlfriend. So play nice."

"Fine." I grumbled. I knew Kaz had a point, and that I should probably start talking to her again at some point. "It's just…Dani and Alivia's plan, it was a crappy plan."

"Oliver-" Kaz began, only to be cut off by the home security AI.

" _Sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid your services have been requested for a mission."_  MISS interrupted. The fireplace split in two and Skylar and Dani stepped out of the hidden elevator.

"What's the mission, MISS?" Skylar demanded. There was a brief pause.

" _You are not going to believe this."_  The AI almost seemed amused.

**Bree's POV**

"Alright, thanks." I hung up the phone and leaned against the wall, focusing on my breathing, processing what I'd just be told. Okay then.

Suddenly, the lights above me and all through the hallway went out, leaving me in the darkness. Several of the compartments opened up, including ours, and the occupants stepped out, confused.

"What happened?" One of the passengers questioned. Jaden looked at me.

"Babe, you good?" He questioned. I nodded stiffly. "What happened to the lights?"

"We were hoping you could tell us." Chase called as he and Calla made their way down to us.

"The train's not moving, the lights are down. It's like they shut down the whole locomotive." Calla added. I frowned, looking at them.

"Mechanical failure?" I guessed. Calla shrugged.

"No idea. But I'm going to go check with the conductor, see what's up." She glanced at her older brother. "You coming?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"We should go check the other compartments, make sure everyone's alright." I suggested, glancing at Chase. He nodded in agreement.

"Good idea." He complimented.

"Oh, here." Calla fished through her purse and pulled out a commlink. She handed it to me before putting one in her own ear. "Only got two, sorry."

"Why do you have any?" Jaden questioned, bewildered.

"It pays to be prepared." She reasoned, shrugging. She smiled at us. "See you in a bit."

"You too." Chase nodded, watching her and Jaden go. He gestured at the hall full of compartments. "After you."

We started checking the compartments, one by one, to make that everyone was alright. We assured the people inside that everything was fine – probably – and asked if they needed help with anything. Everything seemed fine, at first, but just as I was leaving the third compartment I'd checked in on, two single, loud, gunshots rang out.

**Oliver's POV**

" _Of course this would happen to us!"_  Kaz's voice, stressed, echoed in my commlink.  _"And on Halloween too!"_

"Kaz, you're overreacting." Skylar sighed, starting to lose patience with him. "Besides, considering everything that could have happened, I think that this qualifies as a pretty easy mission."

" _Skylar, I don't know what it's like on Caldera, but here, on Earth, tracking a pair of runaway crocodiles through the sewers is NOT an easy mission!"_  Kaz snapped. I had to admit, he had a point. Dani's laughter could be heard on the line.

" _Ah, crocodiles in the sewer…classic."_  She giggled. I looked at Skylar before resuming to sweep my flashlight around. At least the sewer we were walking around had walkways on either side of the constantly flowing river of filthy water. I suspected that the water level was usually lower, but after two days of heavy rainfall, waves kept splashing up against the edge of the walkways.

"What kind of idiot steals crocodiles from the zoo just to dump them in the sewers?" I questioned. Despite it being a rhetorical question, Dani still spoke up.

" _A funny idiot."_  She laughed. After a moment of silence, she sighed irritably.  _"C'mon, this is hilarious, and you guys know it."_

" _No, it's not."_  For once, Kaz wasn't on board.  _"Crocodiles in the sewers is, like, the worst movie monster ever."_

" _Name one movie that had a crocodile in the sewer as the villain. And it can't be Batman!"_  She added, in an afterthought.

" _Alligator."_  Kaz replied instantly.

" _You mean the 1980s movie? Also, there's a difference between crocodiles and allig-"_  At that point, I pulled the commlink from my ear.

"They're going to keep bickering for a while." I told Skylar. She nodded in agreement, following my lead and removing her own commlink.

"Dani seems to be enjoying herself." She observed. I nodded in agreement, looking around the sewer.

"Kaz thinks I'm being too hard on her." I mentioned after a couple of minutes. She hummed in response. "What do you think?"

"It's not my place to tell you whether or not to forgive her, Oliver." She replied, slightly distracted as we stepped into a new tunnel. "She's your sister, not mine."

"What do you think of her being back, then?" I questioned. I needed a second opinion on this. I was pissed at Dani, sure, but over the past few days, I'd been starting to doubt exactly why I was still punishing her for it.

Skylar didn't answer for a very long time. Then, finally, "I don't trust her."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, but aside from that?"

"No, Oliver, that's it. I don't trust her." Skylar turned to face me. "I can't trust her. Neither can Bree or Calla, and I don't get why you're all acting like it's no big deal. I'd get it if we were just friends, but we're teammates. We rely on each other on missions to keep each other safe. And if we can't trust one of the people who's supposed to be covering our asses? Then that puts us all in danger."

"I know." I told her, serious. She nodded.

"Good. Trust is vital to what we do. And if we can't trust her…Look, I know I sound really cold and heartless right now, but I'm just being honest." She sighed. "I'm her friend. Her screw up? Not going to change that. And eventually, as her friend, I'll forgive her. But as her teammate? I don't know."

I nodded, understanding where she was coming from. "I just…I wish she would think sometimes. Her and Alivia's plan could have gone really, really wrong."

"Dani only thinks about how the consequences will affect her." Skylar sighed. I looked at her, a little surprised that she'd say something like that. "I'm not saying she's selfish. I know she's not. Dani would have sacrificed everything, even her own life, to stop Bridget. But Dani just doesn't think about how things will affect others. It's just not how her mind works."

"So, what are you saying?" I questioned, a little confused. Skylar shrugged.

"That, combined with the way Dani goes about things…she's very independent. She's good at what she does, but her methods don't work in a team setting." She commented.

"You think she should leave again." It wasn't a question.

"No, I…I don't want anything. Dani's a good hero, I'll never deny that, but I honestly think that she'd be a better hero if she went off on her own. And I think she's starting to realize it too." She gave me a sad look, and I realized what she was trying to do: she thought that Dani was going to bail again, and she was trying to prepare me for it.

"I don't know." I muttered. Suddenly, before we could continue with our conversation, we heard a loud shout – Kaz's voice – echo through the tunnels. We exchanged looks, then took off in his direction. "Guys!" I shouted, slapping my commlink back on, regretting ever taking it out in the first place. "What's going-oompf!"

I suddenly found myself on my back, Kaz having barreled right into me. Dani was close behind him, a breathless smile still on her lips. "Sorry." Kaz apologized quickly, climbing off of me then helping me up. "We found the crocodiles. They were big."

"Kaz has a phobia of crocs in the sewer, apparently." Dani commented.

"It's not a phobia, Dee, it's common sense." He retorted. She laughed good-naturedly.

"Could you take this seriously?" I snapped. The smile faded from her face completely, and immediately I felt a pang of guilt. "I just mean, let's laugh about this later, okay?"

"Yeah…sure." She agreed softly. Great, now I felt like a jerk. "Oh, by the way, obvious question: how do we catch them anyway? We never actually discussed that."

"I thought we were just going to blast them." Skylar frowned. Dani stared at her in horror.

"They're just animals, Skylar!" She snapped.

"Enough." I stepped in before they could start fighting. I looked at Kaz. "Let's see these crocs, then decide what we're going to do with them, alright? Where are they?"

Kaz sighed, clearly not thrilled at the idea of going near them. "That way." He pointed. Dani led the way, heading back the direction she and Kaz had come. Eventually, however, she stopped in the middle of a tunnel intersection. One of the tunnels were caved in, probably a result of being incredible old, while the rest of it was completely empty. "Uh, where are they?"

"You lost them?" Skylar sighed in frustration.

"It wasn't our fault." Dani said quickly.

"Uh, guys?" Kaz said slowly. "Found them."

We turned around to see a pair of massive crocodiles standing behind us, watching us with their yellow eyes, their tails flicking back and forth impatiently. "Uh, now what?" Skylar questioned. I thought about it quickly.

"Blast the ground." I told them. "Kaz, Dani, you blast the ground between us and them, and we'll blast the areas that we don't want them to go in."

"So we can direct them in the direction we want." Skylar grinned. "That's good."

"And animal friendly." Dani added appreciatively. I smiled, proud of that plan.

That pride disappeared barely two seconds later when I remembered that most sewers were filled with gases caused by the filth in the water. And those gases were flammable.

Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to stop Kaz before he activated his pyrokinesis. There was a flash of light, and then a loud explosion as I felt myself being thrown backwards.

**Bree's POV**

I dropped to one knee on instinct the moment I heard the shots, one hand reaching back to shut the compartment door behind me in hopes of protecting the family inside. "What the hell was that?" Chase demanded, looking at me from where he was ducked behind a snack cart, the owner of the cart mysteriously gone.

"Let's find out." I suggested, nodding towards the lounge car, where the sounds had come from. He nodded and we started silently making our way to the car.

" _Guys, we heard shots. What's going on?"_  Calla questioned.

"Give me a sec to find out." I told her as we approached the car. Chase nodded at me and I quickly activated my invisibility ability. I stood up at full height, able to watch through the porthole window in the door without fear of being caught by the people inside. "Crap."

Inside the lounge car, a group of men and women, all in tough, black clothing paced the lounge room, threatening a group of passengers with high-tech looking weapons. Slowly, the passengers dumped their personal belongings – jewelry, watches, wallets – into a burlap sack. "I think it's a heist; they're robbing the train." I muttered.

"What is this, an old west film?" Calla questioned.

"Apparently." I replied, shaking my head. Then, one of the robbers turned around and I caught sight of her face. "You've got to be kidding me."

" _What?_ " "What?" Chase and Calla questioned at the same time.

"Carrie Perry is one of the robbers." I informed them, watching the eighteen-year-old niece of our ex-principal threaten one of the men in the car when he didn't give her his watch fast enough.

" _Uh, Jaden would like to know if this is some elaborate prank."_  Calla said after a moment.

"I wish." I muttered.

"Bree." I glanced down at my brother, who was leaning against the wall, out of Carrie and her 'friends'' sight. "Tell Jay and Calla to start moving passengers away from this car."

I nodded and relayed the message.  _"Whatever you're going to do, be careful."_  Calla warned before signing off. I looked at Chase.

"Now what?" I questioned. He thought about it for a moment.

"How many robbers and how many hostages?" He asked. I glanced back through the window, double-checking the number.

"Seven robbers, including Perry. Eight hostages." I replied. He nodded, and before he could ask what they were armed with, I added, "They're got tech weapons, nothing I've seen. The type Calla would kill for."

"Right." He thought about it, then looked at me, a faint smirk on his lips. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

I caught on after half a second. "Oh yeah."

**Oliver's POV**

I groaned, rubbing my head as the dust cleared from the explosion. I started to get to my feet, then stopped, shocked to see that there was a wall of rubble in front of me. "Oliver, Dani!" Kaz's voice came from the other side. I glanced over my shoulder to check, and sure enough, Dani was a few feet behind me, using the wall to support herself.

"We're fine, Kaz." She called, grimacing as she ran a hand through her dust-covered blonde hair.

"Oliver?" He added, just to be sure.

"Yeah, I'm here. Are you guys alright?" I shouted, looking up at the rubble, trying to see if there was a way through. Dani and I were effectively trapped – the cave in from earlier blocking off the exit from the other side. Water sloshed up against our feet, having risen above the edge of the walkway.

"We're fine." Skylar assured us. "But the ceiling caved when the explosion…how did that happen anyway?"

"Sewer gases. Kaz ignited them by accident." I replied. "What about the crocodiles?"

"I think we accidently killed them." Kaz said, a wince in his tone. "They're not moving."

"Oh no." Dani frowned, genuinely upset.

"Are you guys stuck? Can you get out at all?" Skylar questioned.

"I don't know. I don't think so." Dani replied, walking over to me and tracing her hand over the wall of rocks. Suddenly, I felt the water seep into my shoes. Glancing down, I realized something.

"Shit."

Dani frowned and followed my gaze, her face clearing of its confusion after a moment. "What?" Kaz questioned, unable to see.

"We may be trapped, but the water isn't. It's still coming in from your side." I told them. "And with the wall behind us blocked off, it's starting to rise."

"That may not be a bad thing." Skylar offered. "If the water can get in, maybe you can out the same way: under the rocks."

I glanced at the river of water, trying to judge how deep it was. Deciding that it must be several feet deep – with the amount of water down here and the rain from the past two nights, it had to be fairly deep, - I shook my head. "Won't work. We need another way."

"Why? Can't you swim?" Skylar questioned.

"I can't." Dani spoke up, embarrassed. I looked at her and saw her cheeks flare up red.

There was a brief pause, then Skylar questioned, "what kind of hero can't swim?"

"This kind." Dani growled in retort, clearly annoyed at the question.

"Doesn't matter, we just can't swim out of here." I interrupted Skylar's next question. Ever since nearly drowning at the pier when we were four, Dani had been afraid of water. She didn't like to tell people that – she was incredibly embarrassed about it – but I understood.

"Uh, what if we try to blow a hole in it?" Kaz offered, trying to be helpful.

"I think we've had enough explosions for one day, bud." I replied, trying to think.

"Oh, wait! Calla's got a new toy in mission command." Kaz exclaimed after a minute. "It can allow you to pass through solid objects."

"That's perfect, Kaz." Dani told him, forcing a smile on her face, despite the fact that he couldn't see it.

"We'll go get it." Skylar promised us. "We'll be back soon."

"Hurry!" I called after them, listening to their retreating footsteps. I glanced back at my sister, but Dani was too preoccupied with the slowly rising water level to notice.

**Bree's POV**

"Ready?" Chase asked me. I nodded, taking a deep breath. Game time.

"Hey, Carrie!" Chase shouted, cupping his hands to make his voice echo louder. "Remember me?"

He turned and ran to hide as I turned invisible again and stood up. Just in time too, as I watched Carrie's face turn from smug and victorious to frustrated and disbelieving when she recognized the voice. She cursed under her breath, then looked at one of her fellow robbers. "Chase Davenport, the bionic genius."

"The boss didn't say there'd be bionics." He growled.

"Just go deal with him!" Carrie snapped insistently. He grumbled under his breath, but soon he, along with three of the other robbers, pushed open the door and walked past me in search of Chase. I slipped through the door unseen. Chase would deal with the other robbers, but right now my priority was to make sure the hostages made it out alright.

There were three robbers left in the room, including Carrie. Despite the fact that they all had extremely high-end weaponry on them, I was confident I could beat them. I slowly, carefully, made my way over to the other end of the car, getting behind them as they faced the hostages. I smirked and turned visible, reveling in the reactions of the hostages.

I whistled loudly and the three of them turned around. "Hey, how's it going?"

Carrie reacted first, aiming her weapon at me and firing. I sped out of harm's way, but surprisingly, at the last minute, the shot – a blast of gold energy the size of a baseball – curved its path. It still ended up missing, but instead of hitting the window like I expected, it buried itself in the wall next to me. I stopped, stunned for a moment.

Carrie smirked, realizing that she'd caught me by surprise, then glanced at her fellow criminals. "What are you waiting for? Shoot her!"

They didn't need any further encouragement, and soon, I had three blasts of energy chasing after me. Okay, so just avoiding the blasts wasn't going to work. Time to try something else. Instead of darting away from the blasts, I sped towards them, dropping to my knees at the last second. I narrowly avoided being hit, but sure enough, the energy balls curved midair to follow me, in the direction of their shooters.

Not nearly as fast as I was, the robbers had a much harder time avoiding being hit. In fact, two of the blasts hit their own shooters in the chest, knocking them down and out. Carrie didn't try to run like they did – clearly, she understood that it wasn't going to help – instead raising her weapon to deflect it. The blast hit her weapon, knocking it out of her hand, but she was spared. She scrambled to get a hold of another one, but before she could, I lunged at her, pinning her up against the wall.

"Nice try, Carrie." I smirked. She scowled angrily, struggling against my hold, but I was too strong for her to escape from.

"Go to hell." She muttered. I chuckled in amusement.

"After you." I replied.

" _Bree?"_ To my surprise, it was Chase's voice that came from the commlink instead of Calla's. "You there?"

"Yeah, just finishing up. You?"

"Yeah, they're down. Not exactly a fan of their new weapons." He grumbled.

"Me either." I agreed, adjusting my grip on Carrie. "Where's Calla and Jaden?"

"Jay's on his way to help you, Calla's taking a look at the device Carrie and her pals used to stop the train." He replied. "We should be on our way soon. The police'll be waiting for us on the other end."

"Hear that? You're done." I whispered to Carrie. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. "So," I said, addressing Chase again, "who gets to tell Perry that we got her niece arrested…again?"

**Oliver's POV**

I glanced at the wall of rubble again, impatient. The water was already up to our waists, and getting higher. Where were Kaz and Skylar?

Dani was getting skittish, alternating between standing in the water like me and flying as high as she could, which in this enclosed space, was only a couple of feet higher than my head. "Can you stop?" I asked, not unkindly, as she landed again. She looked at me, surprised. "Seriously, stop."

"Sorry." She muttered. I sighed.

"They'll be back soon." I promised. She nodded absently. "Hey, seriously, chill out. We'll be fine."

She nodded again, quiet. After a moment, she spoke up. "Skylar's got a point. What kind of hero is afraid of water?"

"What kind of hero doesn't have any fears? I mean, look at Kaz; apparently, he's afraid of crocodiles." I reminded her. She thought about it.

"Tecton. Tecton was fearless." She finally settled on. I shook my head.

"He was afraid of mice." I replied. She raised an eyebrow.

"Mice?" She repeated. I nodded.

"Mice." I confirmed. She bit her lip, trying to keep from smiling. "It's just something we have to work around. It's fine."

She nodded, then glanced at me. "I think this is the most you've spoken to me since I've been back." She commented softly. I didn't respond. "Ollie, please. I'm sorry I had to lie to you, but I didn't have another choice."

"You always have a choice, Dani." I reminded her. She looked at me.

"Okay, then answer this, honestly: if, while I was undercover, we had to fight each other, would you have pulled your punches?" She questioned. I opened my mouth to reply, then realized that I really didn't have an answer. I didn't know what I would have done. "You would have. Look, I know you never would have told them anything, but you would have pulled their punches. And they would have noticed. That's how I got Lexi suspicious, by not using my full power against Adam, Bree, Chase, and Leo."

I sighed, knowing and hating that she had a point. "You make me want to hate you somedays, you know."

"I know. I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "I don't, though. I wish I could, Dee, and I hate that you went undercover, but I don't hate you."

"I did what I had to, Ollie." She reminded me.

"You could have done it differently." I shot back.

"No, I really couldn't have. We talked about this." She sighed. "I couldn't tell you-"

"That's not what I'm talking about." I insisted. She rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to lie, I'm pissed you lied, and I am insulted that you think I wouldn't have been able to figure something out to keep your secret when your life was in danger. But you know what I'm the most upset about? You left."

"I know." Dani sighed. I stopped her.

"Dani, it used to be us against the world. You, me, and Kaz." I reminded her. "And then that changed. Why?"

She gave me a sad look, not one that was sad for herself, but sad that I was right. "I don't know."

"You wanna know what I think you should have done differently? You should have taken Kaz or I with you." I told her. She frowned, as if the idea had never occurred to her. "Out of the two of us, I was always closer with Mom, and Kaz would follow you anywhere. Mom wouldn't have even questioned it if we'd joined her alongside you. And that way, we'd still be a team and you wouldn't be doing some idiot, dangerous crap all by yourself."

"I…I didn't want to get your guys involved." She murmured. I raised an eyebrow. "It was dangerous!"

"Exactly why you shouldn't have done it alone." I insisted. "You could have been killed, Dani."

"I'm sorry." She apologized yet again.

"Stop apologizing and start thinking. Your actions have consequences." I told her sternly. She nodded, and I sighed. "Just, next time, remember that we're a team, alright? You don't have to play the martyr all by yourself."

"Next time I go to do something stupid, I'll drag you and Kaz along with me." She promised, a hint of a smile on her face.

"It's really not too much to ask." I told her, just as the sound of approaching footsteps came into earshot. And none too soon either – the water was already touching our shoulders.

"Hey, you guys still alright?" Kaz called from the other side. I glanced at Dani, who was back to staring at the water with nervous eyes.

"We've been better!" I replied.

"Alright, hang on a second!" Skylar shouted. True to her word, a second later, the water suddenly started to drain, pouring out through a hole in the rubble, held open by a light blue transparent square. As the water drained, I could see Kaz and Skylar's face on the other side of the hole. Eventually, the water was as low as they could get it – up to our waists, just below the hole. I looked at Dani, about to offer to let her go first, but she was already climbing through the hole to safety. Amused, I followed her, accepting Skylar's hand as we climbed out.

"You guys okay?" Kaz questioned. Dani and I exchanged looks.

"Yeah, I think so." I assured him. Suddenly, one of the crocodiles' tails twitched.

"Ah!" Kaz jumped half a foot in the air, the movement startling him. "That thing's alive?!"

"Apparently so." Dani bent down to stroke the crocodile's back before anyone could stop her. "You must have knocked them out with the explosion, not killed them."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I called the zoo and told them we found them." Skylar commented.

"Well…I'm out. See ya." Kaz couldn't have gotten out of there faster, I swear. Dani laughed, watching him practically sprint away from the crocodiles.

"I can wait for the zoo keepers." Skylar offered, giving me a smile. "You guys go clean up."

"Thanks Sky." I kissed her before leaving with Dani to follow Kaz's path through the sewers.

"So…" Dani drawled after a long moment. "Are we good?"

I sighed. "Yeah, we're good."

She beamed. "Good." She clapped her hands together, a mischievous light in her eyes. "Because I want your help with something."

**Kaz's POV**

I yawned, walking down the stairs, heading for the kitchen. Everyone was asleep, but after finding that Oliver was not in bed, I figured I'd find him down in the kitchen. "Oliver, you down here?"

I stopped when I took the last step, my foot feeling something under me that was not hardwood. It felt…scaly, almost, and cool to the touch. What could that…Suddenly, the strangest, most terrifying thing happened – a crocodile fell from the sky. "Shit!" I screamed, jumping back onto the stairs.

The lights flicked on at the same time as the sound of laughter hit my ears. A plastic crocodile was lying at the bottom of the stairs, while another one hung from the same rope as my skeleton had earlier. Dani and Oliver were sitting on the couch, evidently waiting for me, laughing like they'd never seen anything quite as funny.

I gaped at them, both surprised and annoyed. "You guys suck!" I told them. They ignored me, laughing even harder. And after a moment, I started laughing too.

**Bree's POV**

"Such a crazy day." Calla complained as we walked into our old house. The police had arrested Carrie and the other robbers at the station, and now all I wanted to do was go to bed. Thankfully, Mr. Davenport, Tasha, and Naomi were still out of the country, so we had the house to ourselves for the duration of our stay.

"No kidding." Jaden agreed, dropping my and his bags at the door. He glanced at his sister. "I can't believe you kept one of their weapons."

"It's cool." She insisted, holding up the high-tech weapon. "High end, very impressive."

"I just don't get what this is." Chase took the weapon from her and turned it over, revealing a series of numbers printing in light grey ink at the bottom of the weapon: 1908091820-0616. "I mean, it's not a serial code – they don't look like that and they're usually made to be part of the weapon so that it can't be hidden as easily."

"I think it's a signature." Calla hummed.

"Uh, those are numbers, not letters." I pointed out. She shook her head.

"A lot of engineers put a personal logo or symbol on their gadgets so that they can identify it as their own. Mine's the Borromean rings with a tiny C in each of the circles." She explained. "This number could be his."

"You think you can identify who made this weapon?" I asked.

"I can try." Calla smirked stubbornly. She looked up at us, like she was going to say something, then switched gears and turned to Chase. "Come down to Mission Command with me."

"I was actually going to make dinner." He mentioned. She batted her eyes at him.

"Please? Davenport left some new inventions to test. It'll be fun." She insisted. He sighed.

"Alright. Dinner can wait." He agreed reluctantly following her down to the lab. Finally – I'd been hoping to get some alone time with Jaden all day.

"Hey, can we talk?" I asked, turning to him. He nodded and started to lead me out onto the deck.

"I need to talk to you too." He agreed, pushing open the door for me. "You go first."

"Actually, you go first. Mine is pretty important." I told him as I leaned against the deck railing.

"Well…Bree." Jaden said my name, and didn't say anything else. I waited a few moments, then turned around to ask him what was up, just to have my breath stolen from me. Jaden was down on one knee, pulling out a ring box.

"Bree Daphne Davenport…" His smile grew a tiny bit bigger when he saw the stunned look on my face. "Will you marry me?"

"I…I…Jaden…" Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! "Jaden, I…um…"

"Bree?" He asked, uncertain. I shook my head to clear it.

"Yes. Yes, of course I'll marry you!" I promised him. His reaction was instant, my boyfriend – scratch that, fiancé – jumping to his feet and grabbing my waist, spinning me around as he kissed me. I squealed in response, wrapping my arms around his neck.

Eventually – too soon – Jaden stopped spinning me and put me down on my feet. I didn't move my arms though, perfectly content to be where I was. I sighed though, remembering why I'd come out here in the first place. "There is one little thing…" He frowned, confused. I took a deep breath. "Jaden, I'm pregnant."


	9. Old School

**Oliver's POV**

"…and then we got the crocodiles back to the zoo." Kaz finished, pausing briefly near the end to shove another forkful of pancakes into his mouth.

"Damn, we miss all the good stuff." Calla complained, taking a sip of her coffee. She, Chase, Bree, and Jaden had just returned from their high school reunion last night, and we were catching her up on what she had missed. Bree and Jaden would be coming over later – they wanted to have a team meeting for some reason – and with Chase out of the house, we were all swapping stories.

"Well, I think a train robbery is pretty cool." I mentioned. She shrugged.

"I'm just interested in the tech. Whoever designed it, they're a genius." Calla declared. Skylar frowned.

"Are they smarter than you?" She questioned. Calla gave her an offended look.

"God no. Why would you ask such a thing?" She demanded. Skylar raised her hands in surrender. "But they are smart. I will give them that."

"I take it you're going to try and track them down?" I guessed. She shrugged.

"Eventually, yes. But it'll take me a while, though." She admitted. "And with Gao's plans on removing your powers, I think I've got bigger priorities."

"We do need to figure out a way to stop him." Skylar agreed. Kaz looked at Calla.

"Can't you build something that will stop him?" He questioned. "Easy-peasy, right?"

"Well, it's a little harder than that." She replied, not unkindly. "But Chase and I have been working on a device that should protect you guys. But we're waiting on a couple of parts. We should be able to finish it in a week or so."

"What about Bree and Chase?" I asked, curious. "I mean, will Gao's device affect them?"

"It shouldn't, right? Because they're bionic." Skylar guessed. Calla nodded.

"From what Dani's told me, Gao's only thinking about the power side of things. I guess they figure that if they can incapacitate most of the team, then they can deal with Bree and Chase easier." Calla reasoned, just as the front door opened and Dani and Chase walked in, back from their morning jog. "Hey, there's pancakes left if you want some."

"Thanks babe." Chase walked over and kissed Calla on the check, putting his arms on her shoulders. She squirmed away.

"No, you're sweaty." She complained, laughing. Chase chuckled.

"Well, then maybe I should go take a shower." He murmured suggestively. She smiled, not displeased with the suggestion.

"Maybe-" She stopped midsentence as the door to the penthouse opened once more and AJ walked in. He didn't say anything, instead plopping face down on the couch. The rest of us all exchanged confused, mildly amused glances before Dani walked over to the boy and patted his back.

"Something wrong, bud?" She guessed gently. He looked up with a sigh.

"Oh, hey. I heard you were back." He greeted her, slowly sitting up. She gave him a small smile.

"Alright, what's up, AJ?" Chase asked, looking at him.

"I'm leaving." He declared theatrically. "Forever."

"But you just got here." Kaz teased. AJ sent him a glare. "What do you mean, you're leaving?"

"My uncle just died." He said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry." Dani told him, her tone sympathetic. He shrugged.

"He never really liked me, to be honest. But he and my mom were always really close. Like, as close as you guys were." He gestured at Dani and I. We exchanged looks, noticing his use of the past tense.

"What happened?" Skylar asked gently, going to sit down on the opposite side of the couch. AJ shrugged.

"The cops think it was a robbery or something." He replied. "Anyway, now that he's gone, Mom wants us to go back to her home town. Something about dealing with certain arrangements and stuff. It doesn't really matter; we're moving, and we're not coming back."

"I'm sorry AJ. That really sucks." Calla told him. He nodded, still upset. "When do you leave?"

"Like, tomorrow." He complained. "I mean, I'm home-schooled so it's not like Mom has to do any paperwork there, and we still have the family estate out in Philadelphia."

"Your family's from Philadelphia?" I asked, a little surprised. "Huh, I never knew that."

"Well, now you do." AJ grumbled irritably. Calla glanced at Chase, then back at AJ.

"Alright, how about this? I'll set you up with a bunch of tech before you leave. That way, you can still help us on missions and such even though you're far away." She suggested. He considered it.

"Have you finished fixing the geoleap watches?" He countered. She grinned.

"Absolutely." She agreed. He grinned.

"C'mon. I'll show you what we've been working on." Chase offered, leading him towards the hidden elevator. I watched them go, shaking my head sympathetically for AJ.

**Calla's POV**

"Team Meeting!" Jaden wasted no time gathering all of us, making his declaration as soon as he and Bree walked through the front door. The rest of us all exchanged looks, a little confused, before gathering in the living room.

"Twenty bucks, he proposed." Kaz whispered to me, smirking.

"Twenty bucks says she's pregnant." I'd been watching my friend lately, and I was pretty sure of that. Kaz smirked, confident that he'd win the bet, as we all sat down on the couch.

"Alright, so we have an announcement to make." Bree declared once we'd all gathered. She looked at Jaden, waiting for him to say what it was. But before he could, MISS spoke up.

" _I apologize for interrupting, but Miss Calla, you asked to be informed if I found one of our fugitives."_ The AI announced. I hesitated, then looked at my brother and my sister-in-law.

"We can wait." Jaden assured me, glancing at Bree for confirmation.

"Go ahead, MISS." Chase encouraged. The TV flicked on and an image of Dr. Gao and Mort appeared, the two criminals driving along a town road in a black SUV.

"This photo was taken thirteen minutes ago by a security camera outside a post office in Blanchard, North Dakota." MISS informed us. Skylar frowned.

"What's in Blanchard?" She questioned.

"Nothing, really." Chase replied after checking his onboard computer. "It's pretty small, with barely anyone actually living there. The only thing significant about it is the KVLY-TV mast."

"The what?" Dani frowned, confused.

" _The KVLT-TV mast, standing at 2063 feet, is the tallest man-made structure in the western hemisphere and the tallest radio mast in the world."_ MISS supplied.

"What would Bridget want with a radio tower?" Jaden asked.

"Nothing good." Oliver replied.

"What about their device to block powers?" AJ offered up an idea. "Maybe it works through radio signals. If they've got it finished, it would be the best place to broadcast from."

"AJ's right." Bree agreed. "That's got to be their goal."

"Let's go then. We have to stop them before they activate that device." Chase instructed. We all started to get up, but MISS stopped us once more.

"I'm afraid it appears that you have another problem; there's been a break in at the Davenport Industries Headquarters in Mission Creek, California." She announced. I frowned, displeased.

"No way that's a coincidence." Skylar commented. I shook my head.

"No, not at all." I turned and looked at Chase. "Okay, so we split up. I'll take Bree and Skylar to the HQ with me, you take the rest."

"Why not take Kaz or Oliver as well?" He questioned. I shook my head.

"Gao's device is our number one priority, and we can handle whoever broke in." I promised him. He gave me a look. "If it makes you feel better, I'll get some help from the Academy while we're down there, alright?"

"Fine." Chase agreed reluctantly. I smirked, then turned to Bree and Skylar.

"Let's go, girls." I called, leading them out the door. Already my phone was in my hand, my thumb flying over the touch screen keyboard.

**Oliver's POV**

"They're at the top of the tower." Chase declared, his hand held over his forehead as he narrowed his eyes at the top of the tower. The rest of us would just have to take his word for it – the only reason he could see them was because of his bionic eyes.

"How did they even get up there?" Kaz questioned, confused.

"Gao must have geoleaped them." Dani decided.

"The question is, how do we get up there?" Jaden asked. I glanced at Kaz and Dani, the three of us wearing matching smirks. "Oh, crap."

"Oh c'mon, it's not so bad." Dani assured him.

"If you guys drop us, I swear to God…" Chase let the threat hang. Kaz let out a laugh before he and Dani each grabbed one of Chase's arms and lifted him into the air. I followed suit, grabbing hold of Jaden's jacket tightly before flying after them.

"Hey boys!" Dani shouted a moment later, just before she and Kaz dropped Chase onto the metal platform at the top of the tower. I dropped Jaden next to him, even as Gao, Mort, and a third individual – a tall, dark haired guy with creepy yellow eyes – stepped away from the base of the tower. A small metal box sat behind them, attached to the antenna.

"Well, if it isn't the blood traitor and her little do-gooder BFFs." Mort sneered upon seeing us. We all dropped to the platform, hearing it squeak underneath us.

"Blood traitor?" Dani repeated. She smirked, glancing at Kaz. "You know, I think I like that. I see you've replaced me," she gestured at the newcomer. The guy just smirked at her, not saying anything. "I'm taking you down first, pal."

"Give it up, Gao. We know what you're planning, and it's not going to work." Chase told him.

"If you truly believe that's the first time I've heard something like that, you are mistaken." Gao replied dismissively. He looked at Mort and the new guy. "Deal with them."

"Gladly." The newbie replied. He raised his hands and suddenly, several of the tools from Gao's toolbox came flying at us. I ducked as a hammer went flying directly by my face, narrowly avoiding the nasty blow.

I spun around and released my cryoblast at the same time as Jaden and Dani shot at the newcomer, one with a blast from a plasma gun and the other with a miniature lightning bolt. Unfortunately, the newcomer used his powers to rip a piece of metal out of the platform and into the air, holding it out in front of him like a shield. While the lightning electrified the sheet of metal, it still managed to protect him from all of our attacks. I could see him smirk from behind his shelter as two more pieces of metal were torn from the platform, joining the original in the air in front of him.

"Metal manipulation or telekinesis?" Dani called, glancing at me. I shrugged.

"Does it matter?" I retorted. Everything in the vicinity that could be controlled was all metal, after all, so it wasn't like either one would give us some sort of advantage.

Meanwhile, neither Chase nor Kaz were having an easier time – Mort had clearly been practicing since the last time we'd seen him, as his quick-hardening globs of spit were coming faster than ever, and his reflexes equally so. I'd never even seen him in hand-to-hand combat before, but clearly he was adapt, because in between keeping Kaz at bay with his spit, he was going at Chase with all his might. Meanwhile, all this fighting was giving Gao the perfect opportunity to work on his project.

"Drop!" Jaden shouted. I reacted instantly, dropping low just in time to avoid getting clocked by a wrench. I looked at the newcomer in frustration, then suddenly got hit by something other than a wrench: it was an idea.

" _Dee, follow my lead!"_ I called to my sister telepathically. She stopped herself midway through creating another lightning bolt, nodding to acknowledge my words. I nodded upwards and the two of us flew into the sky to get a better angle. "Hey, buddy!" I shouted at the new guy before sending a jet of water his way, focusing hard to keep the water from freezing midair. Unsurprisingly, the shields protected him from the attack, the water rebounding and creating a massive puddle at his feet.

"Man, I'm not going to melt just because you get me a little wet!" The new guy called, rolling his eyes at me.

"Well, maybe this might make a bigger dent in your ego." Dani called before sending an array of sparks not at the criminal, but at the puddle itself. He realized what was going on a split second too late, his eyes widening in realization just as the shock raced through the water and electrocuted him.

He let out a shout of pain, stumbling backwards as the electricity ran its course through his body. Jaden took advantage of the attack, aiming his weapon at the newcomer's chest. As soon as it looked like he'd recovered, Jaden pulled the trigger, shooting him in the ribs with a plasma blast.

Chase and Kaz were also gaining ground on their opponent, using their number and a series of combo attacks to keep him down. As it was, Kaz had Mort pinned, using his pyrokinesis to keep him cornered, while Chase circled the ring of fire with his bo staff out and ready.

"You think you've won." Gao declared, drawing our attention back to him. He was standing over the box from earlier, except now there were lights blinking on it, starting out slow and then beginning to speed up. "You're wrong."

Chase stopped what he was doing immediately, his bo staff disappearing a a wince appeared on his face. When he reached up towards his ears, I realized that the box must have released some sort of high pitched noise that must be painful to his ultra-sensitive ears. "What was that?" He demanded. Before Gao could reply, if he was even going to reply, the atmosphere changed. Suddenly, it was as if it were charged with something, something that just felt wrong to my very bones. I didn't have a chance to contemplate what it could be, because the next thing I knew, I was falling.

Both Dani and I dropped out of the sky at the same time, our ability to fly suddenly out of our reaches, and being as close to the edge as we were, that wasn't a good thing. Dani got lucky – she was just able to grab ahold of the platform, her legs dangling precariously off the edge – but unfortunately for me, I was not so fortunate. I let out a surprised shout as I fell past the edge of the platform, unable to even reach out to save myself.

"Whoa!" Suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. I looked up, letting out an audible sigh of relief to see Kaz looking down at me. With Jaden's help, he helped pull me back onto the platform.

Chase, meanwhile, was facing Gao. "Too bad your device doesn't work on bionics." He smirked, raising his hand to summon his bo staff. But nothing happened.

"Doesn't it?" The newcomer challenged, amused. Chase stared at him, stupefied. The newcomer raised his hand and the tools from before starting floating back to him. "Well, would you look at that?"

"Enough, Titanium. We've done what we came here to do." Gao warned him. He looked at us, a mixture of pity and amusement in his gaze. "Until next time, heroes."

Mort grabbed the newcomer, Titanium, by the arm and just like that, all three of them were gone. I dropped my head back onto the platform.

"Shit." We were all thinking it.

"Uh, guys?" Kaz looked over the edge of the platform, then at us, a somewhat concerned look on his face. "How do we get down?"

**Calla's POV**

I looked up from my laptop as the door to the penthouse opened up. Chase, Jaden, Oliver, Kaz, and Dani all walked in, a little roughed up but otherwise unhurt. "Oh thank god."

"Jaden!" Bree, who'd previously be speaking with Skylar and her brother, raced up to them (at human speed, unfortunately) and wrapped her arms around my brother's neck. "It's been hours."

"We got stuck on top of the tower." Chase explained. He glanced between Adam, who was still in the kitchen with Skylar, and Leo, who was on the couch with me. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Calla said she needed some back up." Adam explained. Chase nodded at me.

"Good call." He commented. I nodded appreciatively.

"So, let me guess; you found Gao and Mort at the tower, you fought for a bit, and then suddenly, your powers, bionics and superpowers, were gone. Then they disappeared without bothering to continue the fight." Skylar commented, walking over to them.

"That pretty much sums it up." Kaz agreed, frustrated. "That happen to you?"

"Yeah, Sebastian and Lexi were the intruders." Bree explained. "They fought us while a virus or something was downloading, then disappeared just like that."

"You guys okay?" Jaden demanded quickly, looking directly at Bree. She gave him a strange smile, as if that look between them meant more than an outsider could understand.

"We're okay." She promised him.

"I thought their device wouldn't affect the bionics." Oliver commented, almost accusingly.

"It didn't." Leo supplied. The others all looked at us, confused. "Gao's device wasn't the one who blocked the bionics."

"What do you mean?" Dani questioned. I sighed.

"Alright, so, as it turns out, Bridget's team had two plans in play. Plan A was to prevent the superheroes from using their powers." I explained, looking. "It's a bit of an explanation, but here are the basics: all enhanced human beings or superheroes, as well as certain alien species, including Calderans, have an enlarged parieto-occipital cortex. That's the nerve that affects hand-eye coordination. Now, according to Dr. Diaz, that nerve also affects the brain's ability to activate or deactivate powers. Our working theory is that Gao's device released a high-pitched frequency that affected that nerve. He used the tower to broadcast this frequency across all of North America."

"Since the rest of us normal people have normal sized parieto-occipital cortexes, it won't affect us at all, but those with enlarged ones are cut off from activating their powers." Leo finished. I nodded in agreement.

"Okay, but we broke the device." Jaden commented. "We tossed it off the top of the tower – all that's left is pieces. Why can't you guys use your powers now?"

"There's residual damage from the frequency. It's minor and should fix itself in anywhere from twenty-four to seventy-two hours, depending on the person." I reasoned. "Or, at least, that's what Dr. Diaz says."

"Horace is usually right about that kind of thing." Oliver reasoned.

"What about the bionics?" Bree questioned.

"That's Plan B, which is annoying more simple." I grumbled.

"That virus that Sebastian and Lexi downloaded pretty much fried the entire bionics system. Every bionic chip has been deactivated. It'll take days to get them up and running again." Leo added, just as frustrated about this as I was.

"Wait, how come the bad guys were able to use their powers and bionics?" Adam inquired, frowning in confusion.

"Well, the bionics are obvious; since Sebastian, Lexi, and Gao are using chips that have never been in our system, then they would never been affected by the virus." Chase reasoned. "As for Bridget, Titanium and Mort, it's possible that they found a way to protect their parieto-occipital cortexes from the frequency. I mean, it's not that hard – there are hundreds of materials that would block that sort of thing. If we'd known that was how they were going to block our powers, then we could have rigged something up easy."

"Titanium?" Skylar repeated. Jaden nodded.

"New guy. He can control metal, I think." He mentioned. Skylar nodded.

"Yeah, I've heard of him. He used to be one of Clone Master's enemies." She mentioned. "I didn't realize he was working for Bridget."

"From what we gather, he's my replacement." Dani replied.

"So, what now?" Oliver questioned.

"Well, we can't wait for them to attack." I reasoned. I looked at the others. "Look, they had to have known that their plan would only work temporarily – they have to have a plan."

"If we go after them now, it'll disrupt whatever they're planning. We might be able to stop their plan all together." Kaz agreed.

"That's all fine and dandy, but we have no powers, no bionics, and no real plan." Chase pointed out the problems. "If we break into their headquarters now, like this, we won't walk out of there alive."

"Chase is right; we can't just break into their HQ and expect things to go our way." Bree decided. "But so are Kaz and Dani. We can't just sit around and wait for them to unleash whatever evil plan they're about to unleash."

"What if we attack them somewhere other than their headquarters?" Adam suggested.

"As in draw them out?" Skylar questioned. "How?"

"I…I might have an idea about that, actually." Dani spoke up. We all looked at her. "I mean, it's a really, really bad idea, but it's better than nothing."

"The really, really bad idea it is." Jaden decided.

"Whoa, hold on. How bad an idea are we talking?" Bree questioned. Dani rolled her eyes.

"Don't you trust me?" She questioned. When Bree didn't answer, I spoke up.

"What's the idea, Dani?" I questioned. She looked slightly hurt by the lack of response to her first question, then shook herself from it. She told us her idea.

"No way, no way in hell are we doing that." Leo retorted. The rest of us shared uneasy glances; Dani hadn't been exaggerating when she told us it was a really bad idea.

"Maybe we should think of something else." Jaden agreed slowly. Dani shook her head, frustrated.

"This is the only guaranteed way to draw them out." She insisted. "Look, I'll take responsibility if things go sideways."

"Well, yeah. I mean, you sorta started this whole thing." Skylar pointed out.

"That's enough." Chase stopped her. Skylar shook her head.

"I'm not saying this is her fault. It's not your fault." She added, addressing Dani personally. "What Bridget's done is her own actions. But you did restart this fight against her, and this is your plan, so if things go sideways, it is your problem to deal with."

"She's not wrong." Dani agreed, cutting Kaz off before he could argue on his girlfriend's defense. "My idea, my actions, my consequences."

"Look, does anyone have any better ideas?" Chase sighed. No one spoke up. "Then Dani's plan it is."

"Okay, but that only solves the problem of drawing them out." Oliver sighed. "We're still going in without powers or bionics. What are we supposed to do, throw rocks at them?"

I smirked and looked at Leo. "I guess we're going old school."

**Oliver's POV**

"This is what you call old school?" I questioned. I held up the weapon Calla had handed me – a nifty little handgun-like blaster she called the paragun. She smirked, as she adjusted her own weapon – a glove that could shoot balls of plasma from its palm.

"More or less." She replied. The rest of the team were decked out with similar weapons – Leo carrying the largest blaster of the group, something called the concussion blaster, while Bree had a paragun identical to mine. Jaden and Kaz both had plasma guns in their hands, while Adam and Skylar had chosen to use their fists instead, arguing that they were far better at hand-to-hand combat than armed combat. Chase and Dani, on the other hand, had unconventional weapons to say the least – Chase was carrying a metal bow staff while Dani held her favorite bow in one hand, a quiver of arrows on her back. Both weapons were rudimentary, but Calla had modified them by magnetizing the handles (so Titanium couldn't steal them away) and giving Dani a selection of specialty arrows that Calla had been planning on sending to Arciere and Crossbow.

" _A bow and arrow, Dee, really?"_  I teased my sister, trying to lighten her mood. I could tell she wasn't pleased by the others reactions to her plan. She glanced at me.

" _I wasn't on the Logan High archery team for nothing, Ollie."_ She replied, forcing thoughts of earlier out of her mine. "There she is!"

Sure enough, just as planned, our old friend Alivia was waiting for us in the Centium City Central Park, carrying a particular package under her arm. "You sure this is going to work?" The Irish hero questioned, even as she handed the Arcturion space rock over to Jaden.

"According to Philip, anyone with a significant amount of greed and darkness in their soul finds themselves drawn to the power of the Arcturion." Dani replied. "And, well, I'm pretty sure my mother and her minions fall under that category. Thanks for coming."

The red-head gave her a friendly smile. "Always." She assured her.

"Okay, so here's the plan." Chase turned around to face all of us. "Protect the Arcturion at all costs. It may be the perfect bait, but if it falls into Bridget or any of her minions' hands, we're going to be in serious trouble. Don't do anything stupid-"

"Stupider than facing the most powerful supervillain in the world without powers or backup?" Adam interrupted. Chase ignored him.

"And work together. That's our best asset as a team." He reminded us.

"Oh please, you think being a team will actually save you?" We spun around to see Mort, Titanium, Lexi, Sebastian, Dr. Gao, and, right at the front, my mother coming towards us from the other side of the park.

"I can't believe they fell for that." Leo whispered to Calla.

"What, your little trap?" Sebastian sneered. "Please, we saw it coming a mile away."

"And yet, you still showed up." Skylar retorted.

"It's not as if you're much of a threat." Titanium sneered.

"Hand over the Arcturion." Mom instructed. She was looking directly at Dani and I. "This is the last chance I'll give you to walk away peacefully."

"I thought I made it perfectly clear that we weren't going to let you win, Mother." Dani retorted. I nodded in agreement.

"Then so be it." Mom shrugged. She looked at her minions. "Don't injure my children too severely, but feel free to kill the others."

The rest of us all exchanged one last meaningful look, knowing fully well that if we didn't beat them here and now, the world was most likely screwed. And with that last happy thought, we charged into battle.

"Don't injure my children too severely, but feel free to kill the others." My mother told her minions, giving them one last order. We all exchanged looks, not entirely surprised by her words; we hadn't expected them to give up without a fight.

"I've got Lexi!" Bree shouted before racing after her nemesis, her boyfriend (possible fiancé, if I had to guess what the news they'd wanted to share with the team was) chasing after them. The speedster bolted just out of their weapons' range, sticking close enough to tease Bree for her lack of speed.

Unsurprisingly, Alivia went after Titanium on her own. Her father had always considered him one of his greatest enemies, and it wasn't a shock to anyone that the Irish superhero would want to take down the metal manipulator for him.

Though our original plan had been to go after our Mom – our mother, our responsibility after all – but unfortunately, Mort got to us first, cutting us off from the others with a well-aimed shot of his spit. Dani and I stopped in our tracks, turning to face him. He paced around us slowly, tongue flicking through his teeth.

Dani and I exchanged looks before aiming our weapons at him. If we had to go through him to get to our mother, so be it.

**Kaz's POV**

I ducked as a blast of green energy flew past my head, just narrowly missing me. A blast of blue plasma was shot back at Gao from where Calla was taking cover behind a tree, though unfortunately, Gao geoleaped just out of harm's way. It looked like the criminal mastermind had given himself just about every bionic ability in the book, and things weren't going well.

"Ah!" Calla cried out as Gao sent a massive fireball towards her, setting the tree on fire. She backed away from it, falling back on her butt to avoid being roasted alive by a secondary blast.

"Hey, Gao!" I shouted, trying to get his attention off her for a second. I aimed my plasma gun at him and fired a couple of shots, only for them to miss by half a foot. I scowled, annoyed – I was far better with my pyrokinesis than I was with one of Calla's weapons – but at least it had the effect I'd been hoping for: Gao's attention was now solely focused on me, giving Calla the chance to come up with a new strategy to take him down.

I dodged to the left as a half-plasma, half-fire ball soared past me, then jumped as high as I could as Gao shot one at my legs, probably trying to catch me off guard. I landed back on the ground a second later, unhurt but with the soles of my boots hotter than they should have been. "Any time now, genius bar!" I shouted. A moment later, she complied, and a series of rapid-fire plasma balls shot out from behind a giant oak tree.

One of them managed to catch Gao in the shoulder, knocking him off balance. I took advantage of the blow and charged at him, tackling him to the ground. But before I could slam him into the dirt, he disappeared, geoleaping God knows where. "Where'd he go?" Calla demanded, stepping out from behind her tree. I shook my head helplessly, unsure. I was about to voice my opinion that maybe he went to attack one of the others when Gao suddenly reappeared directly behind.

"Behind you!" I shouted, but it was too late. Gao put her in a headlock, holding his arm against her throat so hard that I could tell he was cutting off her oxygen supply. Calla struggled against his grasp, slamming her elbow into his stomach as hard as she could, but with no effect. I raised my weapon, pointing it at Gao, but unwilling to pull the trigger with such a bad shot.

Calla and I locked gazes, and to my surprise, there was more confidence in her gaze than fear. She gave me a small smirk, even as she struggled to breathe, then slammed her head back against his right shoulder. To the naked eye, it would have looked like a useless attempt at escape, but I knew my teammate well enough to know that she was trying to give me a message. Taking a deep breath and praying that I didn't miss, I raised the plasma gun and pulled the trigger, the plasma ball aimed right at his shoulder. Calla twisted at the last second, doing everything in her power to turn her back to my target just before the blast hit its mark.

The plasma ball knocked Gao back, the blow allowing Calla to drop to her knees, escaping Gao's clutches. The mastermind disappeared once more, and I ran over to Calla. "You alright?" I demanded, helping her to her feet. She grinned at me.

"Good aim." She complimented as she adjusted her plasma glove. She looked around, a frown deepening on her face. "This was a mistake."

I couldn't deny the truth in her words. We really hadn't had much of a choice in coming out here – I didn't know what Bridget had been planning, but whatever it was, it couldn't have been good – but we were getting our asses handed to us. In my peripheral vision, I could see the Davenport brothers near the fountain, facing off against Sebastian. They were holding their ground, sure, but just barely – Sebastian was far more powerful than I'd ever seen him, alternating between holding Chase off with a crimson plasma bo staff and fighting Adam with blasts of pure, dark energy.

Alivia wasn't doing much better, the red head barely managing to avoid these flying metal balls that Titanium was controlling. Her experience fighting him was obviously coming in handy – from what I could see, none, if any, of Titanium's attacks had hit its mark, but without her signature ability to multiply herself, she wasn't able to do much more than play on the defense.

Dani and Oliver were standing their ground over by the entrance to the park, Mort holding them off with surprising agility. He'd already hit Dani with his disgusting spit, the glob holding her left leg to the ground. She tried to twist around, aiming her bow at him as she leapt around, using a combination of inhuman agility and speed to keep her and Oliver off balance. My best friend was faring slightly better than his sister, as he was completely free of the lizard-like villain's incapacitating spit, but every one of the shots he produced from his paragun were being blocked with ease.

Bree and Jaden were still fighting off Lexi, but without much luck. Surprisingly, Bree wasn't going in physically for the kill, like she usually preferred to do, but instead hung back, choosing to keep her attacks limited to shooting blasts from her paragun from a distance. It was strange, but maybe a good idea since she didn't have her speed. Jaden was closer than her, probably because A, he was the type of guy who'd want to put himself between his girl and whatever danger they faced, despite how capable she was of taking care of herself, and B, the blasts from his plasma gun did a lot more dangerous than the paragun. His backpack was slung over his shoulder, the Arcturion Space Rock hastily shoved inside. It would hopefully be safe there – despite the fact that Lexi was dodging every single one of their blasts, they were still able to keep her at a safe distance from the powerful artifact.

Leo and Skylar were at the other end of the park, trying in vain to take down Bridget on their own. The villainous mother looked genuinely bored with them, fending them off with some sort of storm ability, if I had to guess based off the bolts of lightning that kept targeting the two. They were okay for the time being, able to predict and avoid the blasts based off the looks of the dark clouds hovering in the sky above them, but I knew that their endurance wouldn't last forever.

That was the biggest problem. None of the villains were attacking us at full force, and I knew why: they wanted to tire ourselves out. They wanted our endurance to give out so they could kill us all the easier (and presumably kidnap Dani and Oliver while they were exhausted, if Bridget had anything to do with it). And unfortunately, unless we came up with something better, it would work.

"We need a new plan. This isn't going to work." I murmured breathlessly to Calla.

"You have a better plan?" She retorted, keeping her eye out for Gao.

"You're the smart one!" I snapped. She gave me an exasperated look, then opened her mouth to say something. Instead though, she snapped it shut and aimed her plasma glove just past my head. I turned around just in time to see her shoot a plasma ball directly at Gao. He dodged the blast before sending a massive fireball at us, about the size of a dinner plate. Calla and I both leapt in opposite directions as it soared at us. We managed to get out of its path just in time, but not quick enough avoid a little bit of the singe. I winced in pain as the flames licked the back of my neck, missing my invulnerability to fire even more now.

" _We need a distraction. If we can divide their attention or give them something new to focus on, maybe we can get the advantage."_ Calla's voice echoed in my comm link. I looked over at her, watching as she scrambled behind a park bench for some cover. She ducked as a plasma ball flew over her head.  _"I miss my lab."_ She admitted.  _"I miss telling people what to do on missions rather than getting shot at myself."_

I looked around, trying to think of something we can use as a distraction. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to work with: a few fountains, a couple of park benches, the public restrooms…wait.

"Huh." I hummed to myself.  _"Hey, the bathrooms here have electricity, right?"_ I asked.

" _Uh, yeah."_  Oliver replied a moment later, his tone sounding exhausted.

" _Kaz, I seriously doubt the bad guys are going to put everything on pause so you can take a pee break."_  Jaden commented.

"No, not what I meant. If they have electricity, there must be an electrical box, right?" I asked rhetorically. I aimed a plasma shot at Gao, scowling in frustration when it missed. He aimed a couple of blasts back at me, only for Calla to draw his fire by running out from the safety of her rock. She aimed a few blasts at his chest before ducking behind a massive tree. "Does anyone have eyes on it?"

There was a pause, the sound of blasts and shouts of frustration in the background.  _"I do. North side, a few feet off the ground."_  Alivia informed me, realizing I was serious when I asked about the bathrooms.

" _What's the plan?"_  Adam called from where he was wrestling with Sebastian. I could see Chase slowly getting up from the ground a few feet away from, winded from the last attack.

"We need to distract them with something if we're going to win. Since the bathrooms are empty, who wants to help me blow them up?" I questioned, grinning.

" _Well, that would be distracting."_  Bree agreed after a moment. In the background, I could hear her paragun go off.

" _You'd need something to set it off. Something big and hot should work."_  Leo commented.

"My plasma gun should work. I mean" I reminded him, taking the chance to send a blast at Gao.

" _Yeah, but it's not powerful enough."_  Chase commented.  _"If you can get it to me, I can boost its power. But I'll need someone to cover me."_

"Go!" Calla shouted to me. She jerked her head at Gao. "I've got him."

I looked at her, the nodded and made a break for it. I ducked past Gao's latest attack – yet another plasma/fire ball – and raced towards where Chase and Adam were fighting Sebastian. When Adam saw me coming, he charged at Sebastian, tackling him to the ground and giving Chase the chance to run over to me.

"You sure you can do this without your bionic brain?" I questioned, even as I handed my weapon over to him. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm not a total idiot without my chip, Kaz." He rolled his eyes, producing a small screwdriver from one of the pockets in his mission suit – I guess he kept it there for missions. "True, I'm not as smart as I was and Calla could probably outsmart me without it, but I still know what I'm doing."

" _Hurry please!"_  Bree called. I looked over my shoulder to see her duck as one of Titanium's metal balls flew past Alivia and nearly punctured the former speedster's chest.

"Got it!" Chase announced a second later. He handed me the now improved weapon. "You're still going to need something to expose the electrical panel.

"I've got that!" Dani called. I looked over to where she and Oliver were. While Oliver distracted Mort by sending a series of rapid-fire blasts at the lizard-like villain, my girlfriend twisted around as best as she could with her foot still glued to the ground, pulled a green-tipped arrow out of her quiver, and took aim at the electrical panel. She released the arrow and it flew through the air before burying itself in the concrete just above the metal electrical box. To my surprise, a thin liquid began to spill out of the arrow's tip, dripping onto the electrical box door. The door began to melt before my eyes, revealing the wires underneath. "Oh, and Calla, those acid arrows? Best idea ever."

"I know." The girl genius replied cockily.

"Kaz, just shoot already!" Skylar shouted. I didn't waste anymore time. I raised the plasma gun and aimed it at the electrical box. After making sure I'd aimed it correctly, I pulled the trigger.

The plasma ball, much larger than before, soared through the air just as Gao tackled me to the ground. But he was too late – we watched as the plasma ball hit its mark. The affect was instantaneous, the electrical box creating a massive explosion. There was just one little problem: it was bigger than we'd anticipated.

**Oliver's POV**

I pushed myself off the ground, my head throbbing. We'd all expected the explosion to be big, sure, but not this big. My entire field of vision had gone white when it start, the roar of the explosion temporarily deafening me. Dani, Mort, and I had all been thrown to the ground, but in the midst of the smoke cloud the explosion had created, I couldn't possibly tell where they'd landed. I coughed roughly, stumbling to my feet.

" _Ollie?"_  I sighed in relief as my sister's voice echoed in my head.  _"I can't see you. Are you okay?"_

" _A little disoriented, but alright."_ I reassured her. Suddenly, I tripped over something big and heavy. And unfortunately, familiar. "Shit, Jaden. You alright?"

The older boy didn't respond in words, but rather with a groan as he closed his eyes even tighter. He must have been too close to the explosion.

His backpack lay discarded a couple of feet away from him, wide open and empty. "The Arcturion…" I muttered, realizing that it must have fallen out. I started making my way through the smoke, trying to locate it. I made it a few feet before I rain into someone. But it wasn't one of my teammates; it was my mother.

And to make matters worse, she'd found the Arcturion before I could.

"Hello Oliver." She spared me a small smile before returning her awestruck gaze to the Arcturion space rock. She held it up in her hands, admiring the glowing purple orb inside the glass case.

"Mom." I said slowly, wishing that I had some better back up than a clearly dazed chef, even if that chef was Jaden. "Give me the Arcturion."

"And why would I do that?" She asked softly, still staring into the Arcturion.

"Because you want this to be over as much as we do." I replied, holding my left hand out in hopes that she would actually listen. My right hand gripped the paragun in my grasp, trembling slightly. "Because you're tired of fighting us. Because there's still a chance we can all have a happy ending."

"If I gave in, your team would lock me up and throw the key away, Oliver. You should know that." She scolded, sounding just like she did when Dani and I were little kids and used to ask what she deemed were 'dumb' questions. She sighed. "We could have been the most powerful family in the world."

I stared at her. "I never wanted the power." I told her, shaking my head. "I just wanted my family. That's all Dani and I ever wanted."

In the comm link, I could hear the others talking.  _"Mort's down!"_ Adam declared victoriously.

" _We've got Sebastian."_ Calla announced.

" _I think I've got an idea to take out Titanium!"_ Skylar offered.

Mom just shook her head at me, completely oblivious to the small victories we were making over her minions. "You'll understand when you're older." She dismissed me.

"If that's the case, then I don't want to understand." I retorted. "If growing up means changing your definition of right and wrong, then I don't want to grow up."

"Protecting my family  _is_  the right thing to do." Mom insisted. "You may not agree with my methods, but I'm doing the right thing, honey. You'll see."

"Every villain thinks that what they're doing is right. They're usually wrong." I snapped. In the background, I could hear Leo announce that between he, Alivia, and Adam were gaining ground against Dr. Gao. "What was your plan, Mom? You had to have known that we'd only be powerless for a couple of days."

"A couple of days was all I needed. That New League of Heroes your friend Geminus has been building? Without their powers, they would have been easy to take out. And then nothing would have stood in my way from taking total control of the planet." She sighed. She shrugged. "Your little ploy with the Arcturion was cute, trying to distract us. But with its power, it'll just make it easier to destroy them. All you've done is buy them a few more days."

I gulped, knowing she was right. The New League of Heroes was really only just starting out, with very few of the members having much experience or particularly powerful abilities. Even if they got their powers back before she came for them, they wouldn't last ten minutes against the power of the Arcturion.

"I can't let you do that." I raised my paragun, but before I could even think of pulling the trigger, my Mom raised her hand and blasted the weapon with a powerful cryoblast that not only knocked it out of my hands, but froze the weapon solid. "You have ice and electricity powers?" I questioned, exasperated. Actually, I should have guessed that she would have powers identical to either Dani or I's. What I hadn't expected was that she'd have both our powers, or that they'd be at the level they were. As they stood now, they were twice, if not thrice, as powerful as ours, even combined.

I looked up at my mother, suddenly very afraid. I knew she hadn't wanted to hurt me, but with this kind of power, I wasn't so sure about my friends' safety. I glanced back at Jaden, hoping that he'd have recovered, but the explosion had really knocked him out.

Suddenly, a silver arrow flew past me, and imbedded itself in the ground behind my Mom, missing her by a couple of inches. Dani stepped out of the smoke, her bow raised and a second arrow already in her hands. "Give it up, Mother." She called, stepping up next to me. "We've already taken down Gao, Mort, and Titanium. The others are going after Lexi and Sebastian as we speak. You've lost."

Mom rolled her eyes and raised her hand at the bow. Before I could warn Dani, the cryoblast burst from my mother's hand and hit the bow. It froze in Dani's hand instantly, but a second later, the bow (including the metal string) started to glow red. The ice melted off it and Dani smirked. "Oh, did I not mention that Calla tricked it out?" She teased, adjusting the arrow. "Now surrender, or I'll shoot."

Mom smirked confidently. "You wouldn't shoot me."

"Try me." My sister growled. But Mom was unfazed.

"Darling, you won't shoot me. At least not to kill." She replied.

"I've killed before." Dani sniffed defensively.

"You won't kill me." Mom insisted. "I'm the only one who understands you, who understands the darkness inside you."

"You don't get me at all." Dani retorted. Mom gave her a look.

"You can't tell me you hated all of it. You liked being powerful, you liked being in charge. You liked not having to follow orders you didn't agree with. Are you telling me that you don't miss that?" She questioned. Dani hesitated.

"Doesn't mean she's anything like you." I commented. Dani smiled gratefully, though she didn't take her eyes off of Mom.

"Nevertheless, this is your last chance. Put down your weapons and stop fighting. It's better for everyone involved." Mom insisted. Dani hesitated again.

"You expect us to let you get away with the Arcturion?" Behind us, Jaden was slowly climbing to his knees. "And then what? You're going to take over the world with it?"

"It's better than letting you heroes keep it." Mom replied. "All that power…it would be such a waste."

Dani hesitated, then, to my shock, she slowly lowered her bow. "You're right Mom; I'm not going to shoot you."

Mom smiled proudly as I stared at my sister. Then, Dani's sullen frown turned upwards, the corner tugging it into a smirk. "I don't have to shoot you to win." She added, before snapping her bow back into place. She pulled back on the string before Mom could stop her and let the arrow go flying.

Before anyone could do anything, the arrow crashed through the glass case and imbedded itself in the Arcturion sphere. For a very, very tense moment, nothing happened. Then, the Arcturion orb started to glow brighter, turning white, just like…shit.

"Get down!" I shouted. Jaden, Dani, and I all hit the dirt as the Arcturion exploded.

**Dani's POV**

I watched silently as a couple of agents from UPSEI loaded my mother, still unconscious from the blast the Arcturion let out, into a truck. She was strapped tightly into a gurney by power-nullifying straps, both for her protection during transport, and for the protection of the agents. "Are you sure she'll be okay?" Ollie questioned again, looking at the tall, blonde haired 26-year-old who was in charge.

"Yes. UPSEI has some of the best medical officers in the world." Agent Miles DeCook replied, giving Ollie and I a reassuring smile. "They'll make sure she's taken care of medically before we lock her behind bars."

"And she won't get out?" I confirmed. Agent DeCook gave me a smile.

"Your mother is in good hands, Miss Short." He promised. Alivia, Calla, and Chase walked over.

"Thanks, Miles." Alivia smiled at him. He nodded at her.

"Geminus, Elite Force." He said in goodbye before heading over to the second truck. Calla and Chase frowned, watching him go.

"You know, I swear I know him from somewhere." Chase mentioned.

"I think he's dating my cousin." Calla cocked her head, as if to look at him from a different angle. I wasn't really paying attention to Agent DeCook though – my eyes were on the second truck. Through its window, I could see Gao, Sebastian, Mort, and Titanium, all glaring daggers at each other, as if to blame them.

"I can't believe Lexi got away." Ollie grumbled.

"Well, that's a battle for another day." Chase assured him. I gave him a thin smile, personally disagreeing with him.

"Well, I'm heading back to New York." Alivia announced. She smiled at us. "Despite the circumstances, it's been good to see you guys."

"You too." "Good to see ya." "Take care." "Give Lily, Liam, Barry, and Alan our love." We all replied. She walked away, already pulling her phone out to order a plane ticket.

"We're heading back to the penthouse. We'll catch up with you guys?" Calla smiled kindly at us, realizing that we would want to watch them leave. She and Chase walked away, and Ollie and I turned back to the scene before us.

"I can't believe we finally beat her." I murmured.

"I can't believe you tried to blow her up." Ollie commented. I stared at him. He didn't really think that, did he?

"I didn't know it would explode!" I exclaimed defensively. "I just thought it would break and then she'd have nothing."

"Dee, relax. I know." He reassured me. He shook his head.

"I can't believe it's over." He sighed.

"It's not." I sighed. Ollie looked at me. "Lexi got away."

"We'll get her." He assured me. I shook my head.

"It's not going to be that easy. Gao's chip made her just as fast as Bree, if not faster, and she's got a head start. She could be anywhere by now." I muttered. Ollie looked at me, frowning.

"That's not the only thing bugging you, is it?" He guessed. I sighed.

"I need to tell you something, Ollie." I sighed.

**Kaz's POV**

"Alright, let's try this again." Bree clapped her hands together as we all gathered in the living room once more. Skylar reached out and grabbed the TV remote, muting the news as it played clip after clip of our heroic battle against Mr. Terror and her minions. None of us had realized that we were being filmed, but now we were on pretty much every screen in the city, if not the state.

"Okay, so we have an announcement." Jaden announced. Calla and I exchanged looks, remembering our little bet. Jaden took a deep breath. "Bree and I are getting married!"

While Skylar, Chase, Oliver, Dani, Adam, Leo, and AJ all clapped for them, Calla scowled, pulling a twenty out of her wallet and handing it to me. I smirked, taking the cash from her.

"And I'm pregnant." Bree added, a nervous smile on her face. My face fell as Calla let out a short, victorious laugh and ripped the cash out of my hands.

"Oh my God, guys, that's amazing." Skylar cooed, hugging Bree. Calla jumped up and hugged her brother, before Jaden fist-bumped with Oliver and Chase.

"There is one other thing." Bree sighed after a couple of seconds. "Yesterday was my last mission. I'm quitting the team."

"Because of the baby?" I guessed. She nodded and rubbed her stomach.

"Just until my little bug here comes out. Then, we'll see." She replied.

"We should celebrate." Calla suggested, beaming. The others looked at her, listening. "I mean, sure Lexi got away, but we stopped not one, but five powerful villains today. Plus, we need to celebrate your engagement and pregnancy," She added, gesturing at her brother and her sister-in-law, "and it  _is_  AJ's last night in Centium City."

"So we celebrate." Adam smiled, agreeing with the idea.

"Let's grab dinner." Leo suggested. Most of us all agreed instantly, grabbing our coats, purses, and wallets. All except for Dani.

"You know, I'm not really feeling up to it." She admitted.

"Dani," AJ complained. "C'mon."

"Sorry." She apologized. "You guys go on ahead. Don't let me ruin your fun."

"You know what, I'm going to stay behind too." I added, looking at her worriedly.

"…Alright." Jaden and the others didn't argue. "We'll bring you guys back something."

"Thanks." I watched them file out before turning to Dani. "Want me to cook up some tofu burgers or something? I think we have some left."

"No thanks." She murmured, walking out onto the veranda. I followed her out into the night air and leaned against the wall of the veranda next to her. From here, we could see the entire city, the dark buildings lit up by lights all over, the atmosphere almost serene.

"I'm not going to like what you have to say, am I?" I guessed, looking at her seriously. She shook her head slowly, not looking at me.

"No, I don't think so." She admitted. I sighed, though I expected that answer, and turned to look back at the skyline. She ducked her head, looking at her hands, before looking back up. "I'm leaving, Kaz."

I looked at her, a little surprised. "…For how long?"

"I don't know." She admitted, biting the inside of her cheek. I blinked, confused.

"Why?" I demanded, turning to face her. She looked at me, finally.

"Lexi has to be stopped." She reasoned. I rolled my eyes.

"The team can stop her." I dismissed it. She shook her head.

"She's not stupid enough to stay in Centium. She's long gone, maybe even out of the country." She replied.

"Then let the League handle her. It's not your problem." I assured her. She nodded.

"Yeah, it is. This is my responsibility." She insisted. I shook my head. "It is, Kaz."

"How?" I challenged. "Why?"

"Carson Bosetti." Her reply confused me for a second. Then it hit me.

"The scientist your Mom kidnapped." I realized.

"The scientist my mother murdered. After I helped kidnap him." She reminded me. I sighed.

"You don't know that he's dead." I said softly. "He may have escaped."

I mean, it was extremely unlikely, but still. However, Dani seemed to anticipate my response, and pulled out a newspaper article. It was an obituary for the scientist. I sighed. "Where did you even get that?"

"AJ." She smiled bitterly. "Remember how we all thought that Bosetti's name was familiar? That's because he's the kid's uncle." I sighed, taking all that in. "I'm guessing, since AJ doesn't hate me yet, that no one told him what happened."

We hadn't made the connection ourselves, and really there'd been no need to get into the more gruesome details with the thirteen-year-old. I sighed, wishing things hadn't take this turn of events. "You didn't have any good options. If you'd tried to save him, they would have found out. And then Gao would have brainwashed you, and you'd be as good as dead."

"I should have done something." She insisted. "But Mom's right. I'm too much like her."

"No, you're not. She wouldn't have felt guilty about this. You do." I pointed out. "That shows you're better than her."

Dani shook her head. "I have darkness inside me. She wasn't wrong when she said that."

"News flash, but nobody's perfect. Even though Chase thinks he is." I added, hoping to get a tiny smile out of her. It didn't work.

"I can't make up for his death. But I can make sure that everyone who hurt him is behind bars. And that means going after Lexi." She insisted. She looked at me. "Kaz, I have to do this. Otherwise, it will eat me up."

I looked at her, realizing that she meant it. "Then I'll come with you." She was already shaking her head. "C'mon Dee, you and me."

"The team needs you." She reminded me. I rolled my eyes.

"They can manage." I assured her. She shook her head.

"Bree's quitting, and AJ's moving. They can't afford to lose both of us." She told me. "They need you."

"I need you." I replied. She gave me a sad smile.

"No, you don't." I gave her a look, but continued. "I love you, Kaz, but you don't need me. We're great together, but you are so amazing without me too."

"Dani…" She raised her hand to stop me, that sad smile still on her face.

"It's not a feel-sorry-for-me thing. It's the truth." She said kindly. "The truth is, you are an amazing superhero, with or without me. You'll be okay."

I looked away, hating how the truth rang in her words. "That's the first time you said you loved me." I mumbled, trying to think of something to say. She nodded.

"I know. I needed to say it, just once." She admitted. "And I mean it, I do, but…"

"But what?" I questioned. She hesitated, not meeting my gaze. "Dani, are you breaking up with me?"

"I don't…I…" She sighed, tears prickling the corner of her eyes. I went to wipe them away, but she pulled back. "Kaz, even if I catch Lexi, I don't know if or when I'm coming back."

"You don't?"

"Look…my mother said a lot of things that we true about me. And they're not things I'm proud of. Ignoring my mission of catching Lexi, I need to get my head straight, figure out what's next for me. Tracking down Lexi…well, that'll be good for me."

"I don't think Oliver will agree." I mentioned, hoping he could change her mind. She pressed her lips together in a thin line. "You already talked to him."

"He agrees that it might be a good idea." She admitted.

"Of course he does." I muttered, turning back to the cityscape. She put her hand on my arm, forcing me to turn back to her.

"The point is, I may not be back for a long time, if I come back at all. And you deserve better than someone you might not see again for a very long time." She told me. She gave me a smile. "You deserve to be happy."

"Well, you make me happy." I argued. She blushed a little, looking away.

"You'll find someone else. Someone better." She promised. I opened my mouth to argue with her, but she cut me off. "Kaz, stop." Her voice shook and wavered. "This is already really hard for me. Please."

I looked away. I could never say no to her, no matter how hard I tried. "Do you have to leave tonight?" I eventually asked. It was clear by now that she'd made up her mind and wouldn't be persuaded differently.

"I was going to go in the morning." She replied softly, a little confused by where I was going with this. I nodded.

"Good. Then you can break up with me in the morning." I decided. She let out a confused sound, her brow furrowed. "Look, you want to do this, fine. I'm not happy about it, but fine. But we are not broken up until you leave, got it?"

"Kaz…" She smiled sadly, looking at me with a mixture of amusement, love, and grief in her eyes.

"You said you wanted me to be happy." I reasoned. "Well, you want to know what would make me happy? One last night."

"Kaz…" She tried again.

"One last night." I insisted. After a moment, her resolve broke and she sighed.

"One last night." She agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dani, Kaz, Oliver, Skylar, Bree, Jaden, Calla, Chase, and their friends will return in The Year Between.


End file.
